This image sings and soars all on its own. Not that it needs a realistic Earthbound analog, but if I had to choose one, I'd say that sprite in the upper left is flinging a baseball to that mitt in the lower left. This being Spring Training and all.
This is in reality a group four very old and gravitationally bound galaxies, Hickson Compact Group 31, interacting with each other. One day, perhaps a billion years from now, they'll be one big galaxy.
The shot is from the Hubble. Astronomy Picture of the Day posted it yesterday. It's worth clicking to see in a larger format. Particularly that sprite on the left.
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By Jeff Wood · Launched 4 years ago
Award-winning, non-fiction writing about reading, writing, art, family, love, astronomy, orbital mechanics, and life. Long form stories are featured along the links at the top.
