The gargantuan galaxy NGC 1132 The NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope has captured a new image of the galaxy NGC 1132 which
is, most likely, a cosmic fossil - the aftermath of an enormous
multi-galactic pile-up, where the carnage of collision after
collision has built up a brilliant but fuzzy giant elliptical
galaxy far outshining typical galaxies. NGC 1132, together with
the small dwarf galaxies surrounding it, are dubbed a "fossil
group" as they are most likely the remains of a group of
galaxies that merged together in the recent past. In this Hubble
image, NGC 1132 is seen surrounded by thousands of ancient
globular clusters, swarming around the galaxy like bees around a
hive. These globular clusters are likely to be the survivors of
the disruption of their cannibalised parent galaxies that have
been eaten by NGC 1132 and may reveal its merger history. In the
background, there is a stunning tapestry of numerous galaxies
that are much further away. About the Image |Release date:||5
February 2008, 15:00| |Size: