This image is a snapshot of a ga- lactic encounter that began while the Earth was still forming. A billion years after the moment captured here, the galaxies will likely have gone their separate ways, but each will have been changed by the encounter. The galaxies may not physically collide, yet each will be affected by the gravitational force of the other.
The smaller of the galaxies, IC 2163, displays a ring of star forma- tion from a starburst it is experi- encing. The starburst occurred when gas clouds, disturbed by the encounter with the other galaxy, collapsed and new stars began to form.
The white circles are stars in our own galaxy. During the long exposure necessary to image these
