Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

This portrait of Stephan's Quintet, also known as Hickson Compact Group 92, was taken by NASA's Hubble Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). Stephan's Quintet, as the name implies, is a group of five galaxies. However, studies have shown that group member NGC 7320, at upper left, is actually a foreground galaxy about 40 million light-years from Earth. The other members of the quintet reside 290 million light-years away. Three of the galaxies have distorted shapes, elongated spiral arms, and long, gaseous tidal tails containing myriad star clusters, proof of their close encounters. These interactions have sparked a frenzy of star birth in the central pair of galaxies. This drama is being played out against a rich backdrop of faraway galaxies.

Provider: Space Telescope Science Institute

Image Source: https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2009/news-2009-25

Curator: STScI, Baltimore, MD, USA

Image Use Policy: http://hubblesite.org/copyright/