The irregular galaxy NGC 4485 shows all the signs of having been involved in a hit-and-run accident with a bypassing galaxy. Rather than destroying the galaxy, the chance encounter is spawning a new generation of stars, and presumably planets.
<p>The right side of the galaxy is ablaze with star formation, shown in the plethora of young blue stars and star-incubating pinkish nebulas. The left side, however, looks intact. It contains hints of the galaxy's previous spiral structure, which, at one time, was undergoing normal galactic evolution.
</p><p>The larger culprit galaxy, NGC 4490, is off the bottom of the frame. The two galaxies sideswiped each other millions of years ago and are now 24,000 light-years apart. The gravitational tug-of-war between them created rippling patches of higher-density gas and dust within both galaxies. This activity triggered a flurry of star formation.
</p><p>This galaxy is a nearby example of the kind of cosmic bumper-car activity that was more common billions of years ago when the universe was smaller and galaxies were closer together.
</p><p>NGC 4485 lies 25 million light-years away in the northern constellation Canes Venatici (the Hunting Dogs).
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This new image, captured by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), provides further insight into the complexities of galaxy evolution.
<p>NASA and ESA;
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<ul><li>Acknowledgment: T. Roberts (Durham University, UK), D. Calzetti (University of Massachusetts) and the LEGUS Team, R. Tully (University of Hawaii), and R. Chandar (University of Toledo)</li></ul>
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