Scientists have captured the extraordinary view of galaxies colliding at speeds of up to 2 million miles per hour.
The team of scientists observed the colliding galaxies using the most powerful telescope on Earth.
When the two galaxies collided, a shock wave was released that is comparable to that produced by a fighter jet reaching the speed of sound. This phenomenon is one of the most powerful phenomena in the universe.
The collision was observed in Stephens Quintet, a group of five galaxies. The group was discovered almost 150 years ago.
The team, led by the University of Hertfordshire, captured the event using the new William Herschel Telescope Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer, a €20 million telescope in La Palma, Spain.
Dr Marina Arnudova said that since its discovery in 1877, the Stephens Quintet has been the focus of astronomers’ attention because it is an intersection of galaxies where past collisions between galaxies have left a complex area of debris.
