This beautiful photograph was released in April for Hubble’s 21st Birthday:
The large galaxy, known as UGC 1810, is shown distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational tidal pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813.
Even the Universe is romantic 😉
January 22nd, 2012 at 11:08 AM
Absolutely gorgeous.
January 22nd, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Beautiful shot!
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:14 PM
A beautiful bit of evidence that God, indeed, “does not play dice with the universe”.
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:44 PM
Lovely!
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:59 PM
Great picture to celebrate a very important birthday.
January 22nd, 2012 at 9:26 PM
When I first got synced up with the Juju Woman, I told her I would give her the Rings of Saturn if I could. She stuck around anyway.
January 23rd, 2012 at 4:10 PM
“Even the universe is romantic”. But of course — macrocosm and microcosm. “As above, so below”. The foundations of humanism, that…
January 23rd, 2012 at 6:13 PM
Nice that such a beautifully composed picture was to be had.
Usually they blink or stick their tongues out and ruin the shot and you only find out later when all the other galaxies have gone home.
Whups… low blood sugar again. So sorry… must… go… eat.
Dang the universe is a big place.