A new image from the Gemini Observatory captures unprecedented detail in a group of five dancing galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet.

The galaxies, attracted by mutual gravity, are tearing each other apart. Sweeping arches of gas and dust trace the interactions and the deformed structures that result. The tug and pull generates a prolific display of star formation fueled by clouds of hydrogen gas that were shocked into clumps to form stellar nurseries, astronomers said.

The image, released yesterday, involved several exposures at different wavelengths.

"This allowed us to bring out some remarkable details in the final color image that have never been seen before in one view," said Travis Rector of the University of Alaska.

A collection of vibrant red clumps mark star-forming regions within a galaxy called NGC 7320. Although its relation to the other galaxies in the cluster has been the subject of some controversy, most astronomers now think that the galaxy leads a relatively tranquil existence in the foreground, safely isolated from the violent quarrels of the more distant cluster.

The other galaxies in the group are racing away from us at more than seven times the pace of NGC 7320.

The interacting members of Stephan's Quintet appear destined to continue their dance for millions more years, Rector and his colleagues say. Eventually, this dance will probably cause some of the galaxies in the cluster to completely lose their current identity, combining into even fewer objects than we see today.

-- SPACE.com Staff

Credit: Gemini Observatory, Travis Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage