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Nighttime Sky View of Future Galaxy Merger: 7 Billion Years

Nighttime Sky View of Future Galaxy Merger: 7 Billion Years
Nighttime Sky View of Future Galaxy Merger: 7 Billion Years The merged galaxies form a huge elliptical galaxy, its bright core dominating the nighttime sky. Scoured of dust and gas, the newly merged elliptical galaxy no longer makes stars and no nebulae appear in the sky. The aging starry population is no longer concentrated along a plane, but instead fills an ellipsoidal volume. NASA, ESA, Z. Levay and R. van der Marel (STScI), T. Hallas, and A. Mellinger