These two galaxies, also catalogued as Arp 273, are a pair of interacting galaxies located in the constellation of Andromeda. This particular example of interacting galaxies displays high distortion within the spiral arms of the top galaxy, which is believed to be caused by the lower galaxy actually passing through it.

Gravitational interactions or collisions between galaxies can often cause bursts of stellar formation. In this case, the lower galaxy displays signs of a highly active nucleus, which could have been triggered by the event. At a distance of 340 million light years, UGC 1810 is quite small for many amateur or even professional ground-based telescopes!

Wait, what exactly is a galaxy in the first place? Well, they are essentially the largest “building blocks” of the universe. They contain everything that is smaller than them, from nebulae to stars, planets, moons, comets—you name it, it likely resides within a galaxy.