The two bright cores appear like eyes, and a ring of young stars forms a face. Behind the eerie illusion lies a violent encounter between two similarly sized galaxies, some 704 million light-years from Earth.
A first look at a Hubble Space Telescope image might give the impression that someone – or something – is looking at us from space. Two large points of light appear as eyes, while a blue ring of young stars forms the outline of a face.
But it is not a cosmic creature or a supernatural phenomenon. The object, known as Arp-Madore 2026-424, is a system of two similar-sized galaxies that are in the midst of a rare head-on collision.
The image was taken in visible light on June 19, 2019, using the Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys. The system is about 704 million light-years from Earth, so the light reaching us today originated from it more than 700 million years ago.
The cores became "eyes"
The two bright "eyes" are actually the central bulges of the two galaxies - dense regions where many stars are concentrated. The fact that the two cores appear similar in size suggests that the collision occurred between relatively similar galaxies, and not between a large galaxy and a smaller galaxy being swallowed up by it.
Collisions between galaxies are not uncommon, especially in the young universe. However, most encounters do not occur in such a precise, head-on trajectory. In this case, the galaxies passed each other at an angle that allowed gravitational forces to pull out their disks—which contained stars, gas, and dust.
This is how the ring surrounding the two cores was created.
A wave of star formation
The blue areas in the image indicate populations of hot, young stars. The collision compressed clouds of gas and triggered a burst of star formation along the ring. More clumps of young stars form what the human brain interprets as a "nose" and a "mouth."
This is an example of peridolism – the human tendency to recognize familiar shapes, especially faces, in random sights. The structure itself is real, but the appearance of the face is created by the way our brain organizes the dots of light and the ring around them.
Ring galaxies of this type are relatively rare, because they require a collision at the right direction and angle. Even once a ring is formed, it does not last long in cosmic terms. In the case of Arp-Madore 2026-424, it is estimated that its current appearance will last only about 100 million years. The structure will then blur, and the two galaxies are expected to merge into a single galaxy in about a billion to two billion years.
A catalog of strange galaxies
The system is included in the "Catalog of Unusual Southern Galaxies and Systems" by astronomers Helton Earp and Barry Mador. Earp published a catalog of 338 galaxies with unusual structures in 1966, many of which are undergoing interactions or collisions. Earp and Mador later expanded their search to the southern sky, and their catalog included thousands of unusual galactic systems.
Hubble observed Arp-Madore 2026-424 as part of its “snapshot” program, which takes advantage of short gaps in the telescope’s observation schedule to image additional targets. Such observations help astronomers build a sample of colliding galaxies and study how encounters and mergers change the structure of galaxies and drive the creation of new generations of stars.
For image and information, visit the ESA/Hubble website
Below is a Q&A section that can be added at the end of the article:
Questions and Answers
What do you see in the photograph of the bereavement?
The image shows a system called Arp-Madore 2026-424, consisting of two similar-sized galaxies colliding with each other. The two bright cores look like eyes, and a ring of young stars creates a face-like appearance.
Is there really a “face” in space in the picture?
No. This is peridolism – the human brain’s tendency to recognize familiar shapes, especially faces, in random structures. The galactic structure is real, but the appearance of the face is our visual interpretation.
Why is this collision considered rare?
Collisions between galaxies are relatively common, but a head-on, precise collision between two galaxies of similar size is rarer. The angle and trajectory of the encounter created the prominent ring around the two cores.
What created the blue ring?
The gravitational forces of the collision pulled stars, gas, and dust out of the galaxies' disks. The compression of the gas triggered a wave of hot, young star formation, visible in the image in blue.
How far is the system from Earth?
Arp-Madore 2026-424 is about 704 million light-years away. Therefore, the light captured in the image emerged from it more than 700 million years ago.
How long will the current appearance be maintained?
The ring structure is expected to last only a relatively short time in cosmic terms, about 100 million years. It will then fade, and the two galaxies are expected to merge into one galaxy in about a billion to two billion years.
What device was the photo taken with?
The photo was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys in visible light.
Why do astronomers study such systems?
Systems of colliding galaxies help us understand how encounters and mergers change the structure of galaxies, cause the formation of new stars, and affect their evolution over time.
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