Greetings, fellow explorers,
There is something inviting about finding a familiar shape in an unfamiliar place. With Arp 273, the eye settles on a rose: a broad swirl above a smaller, slender form. Then comes the adjustment in scale. We are looking at two galaxies.
I like the way this image lets recognition come first. You can enjoy its curves without knowing their names, and still find that learning the story makes it more interesting.
Two galaxies, one encounter
Arp 273 lies roughly 300 million light-years away in Andromeda. Its larger galaxy, UGC 1810, has a distorted spiral disk shaped by gravitational interaction with the smaller UGC 1813.
The encounter has drawn the larger galaxy into the form that gives this pair its nickname. Astronomers think the smaller companion may have passed through the larger galaxy. That interpretation comes from the structures left behind, rather than a view of the entire encounter unfolding.
Look from one galaxy to the other and the composition begins to feel less like a still arrangement. Its curves are evidence of a relationship. The two objects belong together in the story as well as in the picture.
A birthday portrait for Hubble
This image was released in April 2011 to celebrate Hubble’s 21st anniversary. The observations combine ultraviolet and visible light from its Wide Field Camera 3. Bright blue regions along the larger galaxy contain clusters of young, hot stars.
For an anniversary image, it feels especially fitting: something beautiful at first glance that opens into a much larger subject. Follow the spiral around its center, then let your attention move down to the companion. There is more than one way to read the scene.
Living with a galactic rose
Of all the images in this collection, this is one I would choose for someone who loves both astronomy and the shapes found in nature. The resemblance to a flower gives you a place to begin; the science gives you a reason to keep looking.
Our Arp 273, “The Rose” print brings that meeting of shape and scale into your space.
The next time you look at its curling arms, consider the invisible pull that helped arrange them. Gravity has left something we can see.
Clear skies,
D.R. Skywalker
Image credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
Sources: ESA/Hubble — A rose made of galaxies; NASA — Hubble’s 21st anniversary.