Hubble catches merging galaxy images

17 Jun 2002

The Hubble space telescope has captured images of more than a dozen colliding galaxies, giving the first strong evidence of how structures in the universe might have evolved. The cluster of galaxies is 8 billion light years away so the images reveal the universe when it was less than half its present age.

"This is the first time that we have seen direct evidence to support the theory that large galaxies are formed from the merging of small galaxies," said team leader, Pieter van Dokkum, of the Netherlands.

Astronomers from the European Space Agency and NASA will publish these findings in the 1 August issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.

SH