The Milky Way's fate: astronomers have detected an impending catastrophe in deep space (photo).

Collisions and mergers of galaxies are a common occurrence in the universe. This phenomenon has led to the formation of very large galaxies in space. The Milky Way has already interacted with smaller galaxies, and in a few billion years, it will merge with its larger neighbor – the Andromeda galaxy. Astronomers have captured an image of two very distant galaxies that are coming together to eventually merge into a single entity. The photograph also showcases the diversity of galaxies in the unusual cluster known as the Pump, as reported by Live Science.

The Pump cluster, or Abell S0636, is located about 130 million light-years away from us and contains approximately 230 diverse galaxies. It received its name because it appears in the direction of the constellation of the Pump when observed from Earth.

This is one of the closest galaxy clusters to the Milky Way, and the new image was captured using the DECam camera, mounted on the 4-meter Victor Blanco telescope in Chile. This 570-megapixel camera is designed to assist astronomers in unraveling one of the greatest mysteries of the universe – the nature of dark matter.

This elusive substance constitutes more than 80% of the total mass of all matter in the universe. Dark matter may consist of invisible particles that neither absorb, reflect, nor emit light or energy. However, the gravitational effects of dark matter on visible matter can be observed everywhere, especially in the Pump cluster.

This galaxy cluster is notably unusual in that it lacks a dominant brightest galaxy. Nevertheless, two massive lenticular galaxies stand out against the rest: NGC 3268 and NGC 3258. These two galaxies are in the process of coming together to eventually collide.

The galaxy NGC 3268 is visible in the center of the photograph, while NGC 3258 is located in the lower right corner. These galaxies are lenticular, possessing a central bulge similar to that of our spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. At the same time, they lack spiral arms, and the formation of new stars has ceased in these galaxies.

Considering that the Pump cluster features these two massive galaxies, some scientists believe that it may have previously consisted of two separate galaxy clusters.

In the Pump cluster, there are not only lenticular galaxies but also irregular galaxies, dwarf galaxies, and dwarf elliptical galaxies. Astronomers suspect that this cluster may conceal even stranger, lesser-known types of galaxies, many of which are thought to be filled with dark matter.