新媒网 · 跨境数据社区

Located 290 million light-years away in the Pegasus constellation, Stephan’s Quintet is one of the most stunning and chaotic galactic groupings ever observed! This cluster consists of five galaxies, but here’s the twist—only four are actually interacting while the fifth is much closer to us. The four colliding galaxies are locked in a gravitational dance, pulling and stretching each other with tidal forces, sparking bursts of star formation, and leaving behind massive trails of interstellar gas. Captured in breathtaking detail by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Stephan’s Quintet gives astronomers a glimpse into the future of our own Milky Way, which is set to collide with the Andromeda galaxy in a few billion years!