Two far-away galaxies have been described as “blood-soaked eyes” by NASA after the Hubble and James Webb Space telescopes captured an intriguing video of the two colliding galaxies.
NASA says the galaxies have been analyzed in order to better understand the physics of the two colliding galaxies and the rapid star formation caused by their collision. They earned the name after NASA said they resemble a macabre vision.
“They appear as if blood is pumping through the top of a flesh-free face. The long, ghastly “stare” of their searing eye-like cores shines out into the supreme cosmic darkness,” NASA said in a press release.
The galaxies, called IC 2163 and NGC 2207, are only a stone's throw away from Earth, just shy of about 80 million light-years away.
Video from NASA gives us a tour of the galaxies, explaining how gravitational pull has begun to twist and extend the galaxy's arms.
IC 2163 is the smaller of the pair, measuring at about 101,000 light-years in diameter, or about the size of our Milky Way. The other galaxy, NGC 2207, is slightly bigger, measuring at about 143,000 light-years across.
Although the image shows an imminent collision, NASA says they have only grazed each other so far. But, for many millions of years they are going to continue to dance around each other until they eventually form a central “cyclops eye.”
“Over many millions of years, the galaxies may swing by one another repeatedly. It’s possible that their cores and arms will meld, leaving behind completely reshaped arms, and an even brighter, cyclops-like “eye” at the core,” NASA said.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.