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“NASA Has A Sense Of Humor”: New NASA Photos Reveal Adorable Galaxies
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“NASA Has A Sense Of Humor”: New NASA Photos Reveal Adorable Galaxies

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There’s a cosmic “noot,” the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has just declared, and it’s both beautiful and adorable. Taking to its official Instagram page, NASA has released two images displaying galaxies that are shaped like a penguin and an egg.

Captured by NASA’s Hubble space telescope and Spitzer space telescope, the pairing, known collectively as Arp 142, was found 23 million light-years away, about 10 times farther from us than the Andromeda galaxy.⁣

The Andromeda galaxy is a notable barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way (our galaxy).

The “penguin” part of the pair, officially recognized as NGC 2936, is a spiral galaxy, twisted and pulled by the pull of its neighbor

A penguin and egg-shaped pairing of galaxies, known collectively as Arp 142, was found 23 million light-years away

Image credits: NASA

The “penguin” part of the pair, officially recognized as NGC 2936, is a spiral galaxy, twisted and pulled by the pull of its neighbor, NASA described.

Due to its mix of features – new stars, strands of gas, and others – its distortion is readily visible, NASA added. The “penguin” galaxy appears to be standing over its galactic neighbor.

NASA has described twisted filaments of blue and red outlining the penguin shape in the speckled, white glow of the galaxy’s body. Wisps of rusty lines cascade from the penguin’s “beak” to its “torso.“⁣

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The result makes for two galaxies standing out against a black background dotted with small, faint stars and two brighter stars at the top of the image

Image credits: NASA

According to the space agency, the “egg,” officially NGC 2937, in contrast, appears featureless due to its smooth distribution of old stars. This hides any shaping caused by its neighbor.⁣

The result makes for two galaxies standing out against a black background dotted with small, faint stars and two brighter stars at the top of the image. The “egg” galaxy is just below the “penguin,” appearing as a glowing, turquoise oblong.

The galaxies were captured by NASA’s Hubble space telescope and Spitzer space telescope

Image credits: nasahubble

NASA has suggested that over time, gravity will bring the two galaxies closer together until they merge into one. This type of merging likely occurred in the history of most large galaxies we see today, including the Milky Way.⁣

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As the image of Arp 142 was first captured by NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes in 2018, the space agency is anticipating its newer James Webb Space Telescope to see all of these wavelengths of light, with dramatically better clarity.

Some readers joked that it didn’t answer the old question of “Which came first, the penguin or the egg?”

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works as Bored Panda’s News Team's Senior Writer. The news team produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”. You've got a tip? email me: andrea.o@boredpanda.com

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

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Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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