The Hubble space observatory took a picture of one of the unusual galaxies from Helton Arp’s Atlas of Bizarre Galaxies in the process of creating another image of the ultra-deep field of a new part of the sky. Atlas contains 338 galaxies with unique individual characteristics that make their classification impossible. The Hubble image shows ESO 415-19 in stunning detail with two extraordinarily long streams of stars.

Located 450 million light-years from us, the center of the galaxy, ESO 415-19, looks like an ordinary spiral galaxy. However, both arms continue with stellar streams, like long, outstretched arms of stars. These currents were created by its tidal forces sometime in the history of this galaxy. In the past, ESO 415-19 has collided with smaller galaxies or smashed their neighbors in the universe. Captured by the galaxy’s gravity, the stars stretched out in long streams for billions of years, giving it a unique appearance.

Hubble does not specifically study ESO 415-19 type galaxies in the Harp Atlas of Bizarre Galaxies. However, these objects are scattered all over the sky and come into view of this instrument and scientists during the course of other observations or between the space observatory changing direction. The image of the ultra-deep field in the constellation Fornax, where the ESO 415-19 galaxy fell, shows more than 10,000 galaxies of different ages, sizes, shapes and colors. But there is only one like ESO 415-19. Source