This image of a pair of interacting galaxies called Arp 273 was released to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the launch of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
The larger of the spiral galaxies, known as UGC 1810, has a disk that is tidally distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational tidal pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813.
A swath of blue jewels across the top is the combined light from clusters of intensely bright and hot young blue stars. The distorted shape shows signs of tidal interactions with the smaller of the two. It is thought that the smaller galaxy has actually passed through the larger one.















