Hubble captures four interacting dwarf galaxies, 166 million light-years from Earth

NASA has released a spectacular new image of the Hickson Compact Group 31 (HCG 31) of galaxies showing streams of star-formation as four dwarf galaxies interact.

Captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, HCG 31 is located some 166 million light-years from Earth. This newly revised image of the compact galaxy group emphasizes star-forming regions spurred by the quartet’s gravitational dance.

At the top-right of center, the bright and distorted clump of young blue-white stars is NGC 1741 - a pair of colliding galaxies - while another dwarf, cigar-shaped galaxy to the pair's right joins their dance with a bridge of star clusters that connects the trio.

The fourth member of the Hickson Compact Group 31 is revealed by a stream of young blue stars that point to the galaxy (bottom-left of center) and indicate its interaction with the other three.

The bright object in the center of the newly revised Hubble image is a star situated between Earth and HCG 31.

There are #GalaxiesGalore in Hickson Compact Group 31! ✨At about 166 million light-years away, four dwarf galaxies are seen interacting in this image.The bright object in the center is a star that's between Earth and HCG 31. Find out more: https://t.co/BD6Pslt2e9 pic.twitter.com/t8Nay94SQk

— Hubble (@NASAHubble) May 17, 2022

The blue color represents visible blue light and showcases young, hot, blue stars, while the red represents near-infrared light.