Hubble telescope captures crashing galaxies

Astronomy textbooks typically present galaxies as staid, solitary, and majestic island worlds of glittering stars. But galaxies have a dynamical side. They have close encounters that sometimes end in grand mergers and overflowing sites of new star birth as the colliding galaxies morph into wondrous new shapes. Today, in celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope's 18th launch anniversary, 59 views of colliding galaxies constitute the largest collection of Hubble images ever released to the public. This new Hubble atlas dramatically illustrates how galaxy collisions produce a remarkable variety of intricate structures in never-before-seen detail.
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Ittakes hundreds of millions of years for galaxies to merge andthe light from their stars has traveled for hundreds ofmillions of years across space.
Because it orbits outside the Earth's atmosphere, Hubble'scameras can take extremely sharp images.
Its future was controversial, as it requires regularservicing by space shuttle astronauts to stay in workingcondition.