The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a galaxy blazing with stars born from a "hit-and-run accident" with a passing galaxy.
Rather than destroying the galaxy, known as NGC 4485, the close encounter prompted it to spawn a new generation of stars, according to NASA.
"The right side of the galaxy is ablaze with star formation, shown in the plethora of young blue stars and star-incubating pinkish nebulas," the space agency explains.
"The left side, however, looks intact. It contains hints of the galaxy’s previous spiral structure, which, at one time, was undergoing normal galactic evolution.
The glowing yellow spot at the bottom of the picture is the larger culprit galaxy, NGC 4490, which is thought to have sideswiped NGC 4485 millions of years ago.
The two galaxies are now 24,000 light-years apart, and the gravitational pull between them has created rippling patches of higher-density gas and dust within both galaxies.
NGC 4485 lies 25 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs).
"This galaxy is a nearby example of the kind of cosmic bumper-car activity that was more common billions of years ago when the universe was smaller and galaxies were closer together," the space agency said.
The image, captured by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), provides further insight into the complexities of galaxy evolution.
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