Arp 230: Two Spirals in One?
Is this one galaxy or two?
Analysis of Arp 230
has shown evidence that this seemingly single
spiral galaxy
is actually the result of the
recent collision
of two spiral galaxies.
The slow motion collision
took place over about 100
million years and induced a
burst of star formation
that has begun to subside.
The collision apparently had many similarities to
the colliding galaxy sequence in the IMAX movie
"Cosmic
Voyage."