The Tadpole (UGC 10214)
And Beyond
Two galaxies are colliding 430 million light years away. The unusual shape of the large spiral galaxy is due to its collision with a smaller bluish galaxy, seen near the nucleus (upper left part). As with the Antennae galaxies, gravitational forces have created the long, tadpole-like tail of stars and interstellar material and triggered the formation of the huge blue star clusters, massive enough to become small, self-gravitating galaxies or globular clusters. This 2002 optical image of Galaxy UGC 10214 comes from the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camer for Surveys.
Distance


Instrument Location


430 million light years


Earth's Atmosphere, Hubble Space Telescope