Initial language selection is based on your web browser preferences.
File ( 2MB )
Free
The Antennae Galaxies are one of the nearest and youngest examples of a pair of colliding galaxies. The compression of huge clouds of gas and dust leads to a vast flurry of star birth, with possibly billions being created over the course of the entire interaction. The brightest regions in the image are called super star clusters. The portrait of these galaxies could offer a glimpse into our future; the Milky Way is destined to collide with Andromeda in several billion years.