- Original Caption Released with Image:
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NGC 454 is galaxy pair comprising a large red elliptical galaxy and an
irregular gas-rich blue galaxy. The system is in the early stages of an
interaction that has severely distorted both components. The three bright
blue knots of very young stars to the left of the two main components are
probably part of the irregular blue galaxy. Although the dust lanes that
stretch all the way to the center of the elliptical galaxy suggest that
gas has penetrated that far, no signs of star formation or nuclear
activity are visible. The pair is approximately 150 million light-years
away.
This image is part of a large collection of 59 images of merging galaxies
taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released on the occasion of its
18th anniversary on 24th April 2008. It was taken by the telescope's Wide
Field and Planetary Camera 2, which was designed and built by JPL.
- Image Credit:
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NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and M. Stiavelli (STScI)
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