June 13th 06, 07:37 PM
FOR RELEASE: 1:00 pm (EDT) June 13, 2006
Donna Weaver
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
(Phone: 410-338-4493; E-mail: )
Christine Wilson
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
(Phone: 905-525-9140 x27483; E-mail: )
PRESS RELEASE NO.: STScI-PR06-26
HUBBLE EYES STAR BIRTH IN THE EXTREME
Staring into the crowded, dusty core of two merging galaxies, NASA's
Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a region where star formation has
gone wild. The interacting galaxies appear as a single, odd-looking
galaxy called Arp 220. The galaxy is a nearby example of the aftermath
of two colliding galaxies. In fact, Arp 220 is the brightest of the
three galactic mergers closest to Earth. This latest view of the galaxy
is yielding new insights into the early universe, when galactic wrecks
were more common. The sharp eye of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
has unveiled more than 200 mammoth star clusters. The clusters are the
bluish-white dots scattered throughout the image.
To see and read more about Arp 220 on the Web, visit:
http://hubblesite.org/news/2006/26
The Hubble Space Telescope is an international cooperative project
between NASA and the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science
Institute is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for
Research in Astronomy, Inc., Washington.
Donna Weaver
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md.
(Phone: 410-338-4493; E-mail: )
Christine Wilson
McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
(Phone: 905-525-9140 x27483; E-mail: )
PRESS RELEASE NO.: STScI-PR06-26
HUBBLE EYES STAR BIRTH IN THE EXTREME
Staring into the crowded, dusty core of two merging galaxies, NASA's
Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a region where star formation has
gone wild. The interacting galaxies appear as a single, odd-looking
galaxy called Arp 220. The galaxy is a nearby example of the aftermath
of two colliding galaxies. In fact, Arp 220 is the brightest of the
three galactic mergers closest to Earth. This latest view of the galaxy
is yielding new insights into the early universe, when galactic wrecks
were more common. The sharp eye of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys
has unveiled more than 200 mammoth star clusters. The clusters are the
bluish-white dots scattered throughout the image.
To see and read more about Arp 220 on the Web, visit:
http://hubblesite.org/news/2006/26
The Hubble Space Telescope is an international cooperative project
between NASA and the European Space Agency. The Space Telescope Science
Institute is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for
Research in Astronomy, Inc., Washington.