Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus - Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus - The galaxy NGC...

Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus - Galaxy NGC 6240 in Ophiuchus - The galaxy NGC 6240, is about 400 million light years away from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. This system consists of two colliding galaxies each with a central black hole; in several millions of years, they will form only one galaxy. Image obtained by the Hubble space telescope on 10 February 2002. NGC 6240 is a peculiar, butterfly - or lobster - shaped galaxy consisting of two smaller merging galaxies. It lies in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder, some 400 million light - years away. Observations with NASA s Chandra X - ray Observatory have disclosed two giant black holes, about 3,000 light - years apart, which will drift towards one another and eventually merge together into a larger black hole. The merging process, which began about 30 million years ago, triggered dramatic star formation and sparked numerous supernova explosions. The merger will be complete in some tens to hundreds of millions of years. Image taken by the Hubble space telescope on February 10, 2002