The James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope captured the spooky galaxy pair IC 2163 and NGC 2207. The spiral galaxy on the left is catalogued as IC 2163, merging with the galaxy NGC 2207 on the right. The image released on October 31st by ESA shows what we call galactic cannabilism. Such mergers can be seen in various parts of the universe. Previously, the James Webb space telescope captured two merging galaxies ARP 142.
So far, the two galaxies ‘IC 2163’ and ‘NGC 2207’ have only brushed each other. The smaller galaxy ‘IC 2163’ can be seen shifting behind the bigger ‘NGC 2207’ galaxy millions of years ago. According to an article by the Harvard Center for Astrophysics, there are around 25% of galaxies merging.
The image is captured using both the most powerful telescopes, James Webb and Hubble. This collaboration between the two telescopes results in a much more detailed image, as the James Webb Space Telescope captures the invisible electromagnetic spectrum whereas the Hubble Space Telescope captures visible light.
