Merging Galaxies

Merging Galaxies
This contorted object, NGC 6240, in the constellation Ophiuchus, is the result of two spiral galaxies in the process of merging. The widespread blue-green
area reveals that the collision between the two galaxies has triggered an immense burst of star formation. (Inset) The Chandra X-ray Observatory
shows that at the heart of this system are two supermassive black holes, one from each of the original galaxies. Within a few hundred million years,
these black holes are expected to merge into a single more-massive black hole.