Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 9, 2015 is “Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Space Telescope ; Processing: Douglas Gardner. The original explanation runs about 221 words.

Arp 87: Merging Galaxies from Hubble
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Space Telescope ; Processing: Douglas Gardner Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This dance is to the death. Along the way, as these two large galaxies duel, a cosmic bridge of stars, gas, and dust currently stretches over 75,000 light-years and joins them.”

— APOD editors, December 9, 2015

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 9, 2015
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , ESA , Hubble Space Telescope ; Processing: Douglas Gardner
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 221 words

All of December 2015 → · 2015 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

GalaxiesHubble Space Telescope

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 9 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.