The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy: NGC 7252 in Aquarius | A Galactic Collision | Hubble

The "Atoms-for-Peace" Galaxy: NGC 7252 in Aquarius | A Galactic Collision | Hubble

This NASA/European Space Agency Hubble Space Telescope image shows the results of a vast collision between two galaxies. This strange object is known as NGC 7252, or Arp 226, and has the odd nickname Atoms-for-Peace. Only rarely does an astronomical object have a political association. However, the spiral galaxy NGC 7252 acquired exactly that when it was given its unusual nickname.

Distance from Earth: 220 million light years

In December 1953, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech advocating the use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes. This “Atoms for Peace” speech was significant for the scientific community, as it brought nuclear research into the public domain. NGC 7252 has a superficial resemblance to an atomic nucleus surrounded by the loops of electronic orbits. Thus, it was dubbed the Atoms for Peace galaxy in honor of this. These loops are well visible in the wide field image.

This nickname is quite ironic, as the galaxy’s past was anything but peaceful. Its peculiar appearance is the result of a collision between two galaxies that took place about a billion years ago. This ripped both galaxies apart. The loop-like outer structures, likely made up of dust and stars flung outwards by the crash, but recalling orbiting electrons in an atom, are partly responsible for the galaxy’s nickname.

This Hubble image shows the inner parts of the galaxy, revealing a pinwheel-shaped disc that is rotating in a direction opposite to the rest of the galaxy. This disc resembles a spiral galaxy like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, but is only about 10,000 light-years across—about a tenth of the size of the Milky Way. It is believed that this whirling structure is a remnant of the galactic collision. It will most likely have vanished in a few billion years’ time, when NGC 7252 will have completed its merging process.

This collision is an opportunity for astronomers to study such mergers and to predict the future of our Milky Way after its expected collision with the Andromeda Galaxy.

Credit: NASA & ESA

Acknowledgements: Judy Schmidt (Geckzilla)

Release Date: Dec. 7, 2015

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