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NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day features NGC 7253 (also known as Arp 278), a pair of spiral galaxies approximately 200 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus, captured by the 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. The galaxies are undergoing a gravitational merger that triggers intense star formation from their reservoirs of gas and dust. High school students participating in the Gemini Observatory and University of Hawaii Project Hōkūlani internship program selected this target and gave it the Hawaiian name "Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola," meaning "The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life."
Why it matters
This image demonstrates how galactic collisions drive star formation by compressing gas and dust into new stellar nurseries, a fundamental process in cosmic evolution. The educational component highlights successful public engagement in astronomy, connecting indigenous Hawaiian culture with modern astronomical research.
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Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola
Explanation: Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola, is the Hawaiian name given to this image of a pair of spiral galaxies locked in a mutual gravitational embrace. Some 200 million light-years distant toward the high flying constellation Pegasus their spectacular, galactic scale merger is captured in sharp detail in the image from the 8.1 meter Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, Hawai‘i. The galaxy pair, known as NGC 7253 and Arp 278, was chosen as a target, researched, and given an Hawaiian name by high school students in the joint Gemini Observatory and University of Hawaiʻi Project Hōkūlani internship program. The name translates to “The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life”. That’s both culturally and astronomically appropriate for galaxy collisions that trigger a cosmic maelstrom of star formation from galactic reservoirs of elemental building blocks of life. These merging galaxies are found within a region of Pegasus identified as the Hawaiian navigational constellation Ka Lupe o Kawelo.
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Tomorrow’s picture: chasing shadows
| Date | September 4, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Credit: |
Image Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab/NSF/AURA Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) |
| Authors & editors: | Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, Robert Nemiroff, Keighley Rockcliffe |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
Source: APOD: 2026 September 4 – Na Uhane Mahoe Huki Pu i ke Ola