This large “flying V” is actually two distinct objects — a pair of
interacting galaxies known as IC 2184. Both the galaxies are seen almost
edge-on in the large, faint northern constellation of Camelopardalis
(The Giraffe), and can be seen as bright streaks of light surrounded by
the ghostly shapes of their tidal tails.
These tidal tails are thin, elongated streams of gas, dust and stars
that extend away from a galaxy into space. They occur when galaxies
gravitationally interact with one another, and material is sheared from
the outer edges of each body and flung out into space in opposite
directions, forming two tails. They almost always appear curved, so when
they are seen to be relatively straight, as in this image, it is clear
that we are viewing the galaxies side-on.
Also visible in this image are bursts of bright blue, pinpointing
hot regions where the stars from both galaxies have begun to crash
together during the merger.
The image consists of visible and infrared observations from Hubble’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2.
A version of this picture was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image-processing competition by contestant Serge Meunier.
