> News story > News photo

Photo courtesy NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble
Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/
Stony Brook University)

NGC 6240 is a peculiar, butterfly-shaped galaxy that consists of two smaller merging galaxies. The merging process, which began about 30 million years ago, triggered dramatic star formation and sparked numerous supernova explosions.