July 2013 - A family portrait of galaxies

Galaxies come in a bewildering range of sizes and shapes. This image of galaxy pair Arp 116, seen by Hubble, offers a rare chance to see two different types right next to each other. A huge elliptical galaxy called M 60 and a smaller spiral galaxy called NGC 4647 are beginning to be caught by each other’s gravity. M 60 will eventually swallow NGC 4647 entirely.