Astronomy Picture of the Day: 11/03/13- ESO 510-G13

This is the spiral galaxy ESO 510-G13. This galaxy is embedded within the constellation Hydra and is located some 150-million light-years from Earth.

The ripple/wave effect seen in the image isn’t an attribute of your monitor, and it isn’t an artifact from Hubble’s instruments; it’s not even NASA engineers showing off their photoshop skills. Instead, many astronomers believe ESO 510-G13 has recently (cosmologically speaking) interacted with another galaxy, either by a passing galaxy or in the final stages of a galactic merger.

For references, sources, and further reading: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-110313-eso-510-g13/