Cosmic tango: twin galaxies merge in NGC 7253, igniting star birth
Space.com’s Space Photo of the Day spotlights NGC 7253, a pair of spiral galaxies in a gravitational merger captured by Gemini North on Maunakea. The image—named Nā 'Uhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola by student discoverers—highlights how galaxy interactions trigger star formation and reveal the dynamic cosmos; NGC 7253 lies about 200 million light-years away in Pegasus.