Hubble sees two overlapping galaxies

The NASA/ESA Hubble Area Telescope imaged these two overlapping spiral galaxies named SDSS J115331 and LEDA 2073461, which lie greater than a billion light-years from Earth. Regardless of showing to collide on this picture, the alignment of the 2 galaxies is probably going simply by probability—the 2 should not really interacting. Whereas these two galaxies may merely be ships that move within the evening, Hubble has captured a stunning array of different, actually interacting galaxies.

This picture is one in all many Hubble observations delving into highlights of the Galaxy Zoo undertaking. Initially established in 2007, Galaxy Zoo and its successors are huge citizen science tasks that crowdsource galaxy classifications from a pool of a whole bunch of 1000’s of volunteers. These volunteers classify galaxies imaged by robotic telescopes and are sometimes the primary to ever set eyes on an astronomical object.

Over the course of the unique Galaxy Zoo undertaking, volunteers found a menagerie of extraordinary galaxies akin to uncommon three-armed spiral galaxies and colliding ring galaxies. The astronomers coordinating the undertaking utilized for Hubble time to watch probably the most uncommon inhabitants of the Galaxy Zoo—however true to the undertaking’s crowdsourced roots, the listing of targets was chosen by a public vote.