Galactic watcher
Looming among the stars is a ghostly galactic disc of cosmic dust and gas called Arp-Madore 2026-424. The system’s two starry eye sockets are formed by two galaxies heading for a collision, both of which are surrounded by young blue stars. Scientists estimate that the galaxies, which are around 704 million light years from Earth, will merge in 1 to 2 billion years.