WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) — NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory recently spotted two galaxies as they nearly sideswiped each other on their way through the universe. Like two neighbors sizing up electric bills in a holiday light competition, the grazing encounter made for a festive display of colorful, bright energy.
NASA was able to capture the near-collision of galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 in a single stunning, sparkle-filled image. In fairness to reality, most of the color in the composite image was manmade.
NASA scientists gave the optical-light data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope a pink hue and colored the visible-light data with a range of blues, whites, oranges and browns. The cherry on top is the infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope — displayed in splendid red.
This isn’t the first time the two galaxies — both found 130 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major — have caught the attention of astronomers. The two are responsible for three supernova explosions in just the last 15 years.
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