NASA · Ruimte

APOD: 2026 September 4 – Na Uhane Mahoe Huki Pu i ke Ola

This Astronomy Picture of the Day features "Nā ʻUhane Māhoe Huki Pū i ke Ola," the Hawaiian name for a pair of spiral galaxies, NGC 7253 and Arp 278, engaged in a gravitational merger approximately 200 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus.

The image, captured by the 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope in Hawaiʻi, showcases the galactic merger in sharp detail. This celestial event was selected, researched, and named by high school students participating in a joint Gemini Observatory and University of Hawaiʻi internship program. The Hawaiian name translates to "The Twin Spirits Pulling Together Creating Life," a description fitting for galaxy collisions that ignite intense star formation from the raw materials of life.

The merging galaxies are located within a region of Pegasus known as the Hawaiian navigational constellation Ka Lupe o Kawelo. The APOD main NASA site is transitioning from apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod.

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