The Hubble Space Telescope, using its Advanced Camera for Probes, captured this amazing image of Orb 107, showing two galaxies in the midst of a collision. The large galaxy, called a Seyfert galaxy, emits radiation from its entire structure, and its complex spiral patterns are visible. The galaxy is connected to its smaller companion by a 'bridge’ of dust and gas. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Dalcanton
Hubble’s latest capture reveals Orb 107’s colliding galaxies. Part of Halton Arp’s 1966 Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, this image serves both scientific insight and general appeal.
This week’s Hubble image was taken using the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). NASA/ESA Hubble Space TelescopeOrb 107 – Shows a pair of colliding galaxies.
The large galaxy on the left of the image is classified as a Seyfert galaxy. It is an unusually energetic type of galaxy that has an active galactic nucleus at its center. Seyfert galaxies are particularly intriguing because, despite the bright intensity of their active centers, radiation from the entire galaxy can be detected. Such brilliance and detail is evident in the image, where the spiral patterns of the entire galaxy are clearly visible.
Connecting the larger galaxy to its smaller counterpart is a delicate 'bridge’ made of dust and gas. Located approximately 465 million light-years away from our planet, this celestial sight is awe-inspiring to astronomers.
Atlas of Strange Constellations: Arp 107’s Legacy
Arp 107 holds its place in the so-called Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, which contains 338 unique galaxies. This list was put together in 1966 by the venerable Halton Orb. Hubble’s recent observation of Orb 107 was part of a special project. The effort focused on narrowing an observational 'gap’ by making limited observations of galaxies listed in the Orb catalogue.
One of the main objectives of this project is not only science but also public engagement. It aims to provide the public with captivating images of these remarkable and somewhat elusive galaxies. As a result, this initiative has provided fascinating visual data to enthusiasts and professionals alike. Images of these fascinating and not easily defined galaxies are a great resource for Hubble Pictures of the Week. In fact, several recent publications, including this one and this one , have used observations from the same monitoring program.