NASA has highlighted a fascinating view of the “Hummingbird Galaxy,” which acquired its iconic shape after a ‘cosmic encounter’ with another galaxy, as the ‘Astronomy Picture of the Day‘ describes.
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NGC 2936, nicknamed the “Hummingbird Galaxy” due to its iconic shape, was once considered a typical spiral galaxy until it came too close to the massive elliptical galaxy NGC 2937. They engaged in a ‘gravitational dance’ that caused changes in NGC 2936.
Interaction with galaxy NGC 2937 altered the course of NGC 2936 and distorted it in a unique way, with its dark interstellar dust filaments contrasting against bright blue stars, resembling the shape of a hummingbird.
This pair of galaxies, known as Arp 142, is located about 300 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Billions of years from now, these two galaxies will likely merge, forming a single cosmic entity.
