NASA Photographs Big Galactic Collision

[Bragi]

could give rise

Well. . . . they're billions of light years away. . . . so it has given rise. . . . . . .

It's cosmic OFN.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope serendipitously spotted the quadruple merger during a routine survey of a distant galaxy cluster, called CL0958+4702, located nearly 5 billion light years away. Spitzer's infrared eyes observed an unusually large fan-shaped plume of light emerging from a gathering of four blob-shaped elliptical galaxies. Three of the galaxies are about the size of the Milky Way, while the fourth is three times as large.

since it is 5 billion light years away it does mean that what they are seeing now happened 5 billion years ago. a light year is how far light can travel (at the speed of light ) in a year. the collision may still be going on now or it could have finished a long time ago. anyone wanting an update on how the four galaxies look today, right at this second, will have to wait another 5 billion years!

[wolfax]

Or develop hyperspace tech and get out there, so in 200 years we will know what is up with the collision.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

well theres always that, but what to do while we're waiting for the technology to be developed?

[wolfax]

well theres always that, but what to do while we're waiting for the technology to be developed?

Observe, at least we will know what happened when the collision started. With the new x-ray telescope that will be replacing the Hubble, the X-ray Tele will be a better way to make those observations.