A smaller galaxy blasts through a larger one, like a mega-bullet, sowing disruption in its wake, in this image of Arp 148. The Hubble Space Telescope released 62 images of galaxies smashing into each other, to celebrate its 18th anniversary in space. Galactic collisions were more common in the early universe than they are today, and they’re not jjust wanton destruction: they also turn on quasars and jumpstart the birth of stars. A hurtling galaxy would also make an awesome weapon, if you could figure out how to propel it. Click through for a gallery of our favorite galaxy-crashes from Hubble.
Images from the Hubble Space Telescope. [Bad Astronomy]
