An almost galax merger has been caught search like a pair of eyes staring back at us from the depth of space . NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are a pair of beetleweed engaged in the celestial tango that will end up in their eventual spinal fusion into a single object . For the last few million years , IC 2163 has been sliding behind the larger NCG 2207 . For now , however , they have only grazed each other .

The interaction is slight but unfathomed and this is why the fuse movement ofJWSTand Hubble are perfect forthese observance . JWST brought the mid - infrared detail while Hubble discover the visible and ultraviolet . Each wavelength can be used to get across star constitution in the galaxy couple , which is being accentuated by the merging process .

While a extragalactic nebula like the milklike Way forms a couple of stars the size of the Sun every year , these galaxy are bring forth 12 times as many . Our galaxy average one supernova every 50 years . These two have had seven lie with supernova in recent X . These coltsfoot are participating and the combined observance of JWST and Hubble showcase the activity .

Two spiral galaxies take the shape of a colorful beaded mask that sits above the nose. The galaxy at left, IC 2163, is smaller, taking up a little over a quarter of the view. The galaxy at right, NGC 2207, takes up half the view, with its spiral arms reaching the edges. IC 2163 has a bright orange core, with two prominent spiral arms that rotate counter clockwise and become straighter towards the ends, the left side extending almost to the edge. Its arms are a mix of pink, white, and blue, with an area that takes the shape of an eyelid appearing whitest. NGC 2207 has a very bright core. Overall, it appears to have larger, thicker spiral arms that spin counter clockwise. This galaxy also contains more and larger blue areas of star formation that poke out like holes from the pink spiral arms. In the middle, the galaxies’ arms appear to overlap. The edges show the black background of space, including extremely distant galaxies that look like orange and red smudges, and a few foreground stars.

The two gorgeous spirals in all their glory.Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

Starbursts spot across the branch that have been twisted by the reciprocal attraction . The hollow in the red - marked gas are where a supernova has taken office . Spot the bubbling body process across the spiral arms . We are witnessing a snapshot of what will become an incredible fusion .