This delicate smudge in deep space is far more turbulent than it first appears. Known as IRAS 14348-1447--a name derived in part from that of its discoverer, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS for short)--this celestial object is actually a combination of two gas-rich spiral galaxies. This doomed duo approached one another too closely in the past, gravity causing them to affect and tug at each other and slowly, destructively, merge into one.
This delicate smudge in deep space is far more turbulent than it first appears. Known as IRAS 14348-1447--a name derived in part from that of its discoverer, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS for short)--this celestial object is actually a combination of two gas-rich spiral galaxies. This doomed duo approached one another too closely in the past, gravity causing them to affect and tug at each other and slowly, destructively, merge into one.
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