Why does this galaxy have such a long tail? In
this stunning vista recorded with the Hubble Space Telescope's
Advanced Camera for Surveys, distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral
galaxy Arp 188, the Tadpole Galaxy. The cosmic tadpole is a mere 420 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation
Draco. Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long and features massive, bright blue star clusters. One
story goes that a more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front of Arp 188 - from left to right in this view - and was slung around behind the
Tadpole by their gravitational attraction. During the close encounter, tidal forces drew out the
spiral galaxy's stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular tail. The intruder galaxy itself, estimated to lie about 300 thousand light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen through foreground spiral arms at the lower left.
Following its terrestrial
namesake, the Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose
its tail as it grows older, the tail's star clusters forming smaller satellites of the large spiral galaxy.
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