NGC 520 facts for kids

This amazing image of NGC 520 was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

NGC 520 is a fascinating pair of spiral galaxies that are in the middle of a huge cosmic crash! They are located in the constellation of Pisces, which is a group of stars that looks like two fish. These galaxies are about 90 million light-years away from Earth. That's an incredibly long distance!

What is NGC 520?

NGC 520 isn't just one galaxy; it's actually two galaxies that are slowly merging into one. This process takes millions of years. When galaxies collide, their shapes change a lot, and sometimes new stars are born because gas and dust clouds get squeezed together.

A Cosmic Crash

When we talk about galaxies "colliding," it's not like two cars crashing head-on. Galaxies are mostly empty space, so the stars inside them rarely hit each other. Instead, the huge clouds of gas and dust within the galaxies bump and interact. This interaction pulls and stretches the galaxies, changing their beautiful spiral shapes. Over time, the two galaxies will become one larger, often oddly shaped, galaxy. NGC 520 is a great example of this process happening right now!

Where is NGC 520 Located?

You can find NGC 520 in the constellation of Pisces. This constellation is visible in the night sky, though you'd need a powerful telescope to see NGC 520 itself. Being 90 million light-years away means that the light we see from NGC 520 today actually left those galaxies 90 million years ago! We are looking back in time when we observe it.

Who Discovered NGC 520?

NGC 520 was first discovered by a famous astronomer named William Herschel. He found it on December 13, 1784. William Herschel discovered many amazing objects in space, including other galaxies and even the planet Uranus!