The Hubble Space Telescope has a robust portfolio of galaxy headshots and its most recent one may remind you of a popular monster in ancient Greek mythology: Medusa.
Known as the “Medusa” merger, this galaxy also has the basic New General Catalogue designation of NGC 4194, according to NASA. The “Medusa” merger was not always a single entity though, it’s actually two, located roughly 130 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major (the Great Bear).
A galaxy in the past consumed a smaller gas-rich system, expelling streams of dust and stars into space. These streams rise from the top of the merged galaxy and they resemble the eerie snakes that Medusa had on her head.
Go on. Stare at it. 👁️ 👁️
In Greek mythology, staring directly at Medusa’s face would transform a person to stone. Feast your eyes without fear on this @NASAHubble image of the Medusa merger, a galaxy that is more than meets the eye: https://t.co/Gp8T2NL3iH pic.twitter.com/mMqgtnaU5C— NASA (@NASA) October 5, 2019
According to Greek mythology, Medusa was a hideous creature that was the stuff of nightmares. Some stories say Medusa was born with monster-like qualities, including serpents, big teeth, brazen claws, and vibrating tongues.
Even though this galaxy may look like Medusa’s snake-adorned head, you won’t turn into stone if you admire its odd features.
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