Astonomers have unveiled a remarkable picture of the 'flying V' created by two galaxies merging in deep space.
The picture, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, was the work of astronomers at the European and Norther American space agencies, ESA and Nasa.
It depicts the interlocking galaxies IC 2184 in the faint northern constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe).
Nasa explains:
"These tidal tails are thin, elongated streams of gas, dust and stars that extend away from a galaxy into space. They occur when galaxies gravitationally interact with one another, and material is sheared from the outer edges of each body and flung out into space in opposite directions, forming two tails. They almost always appear curved, so when they are seen to be relatively straight, as in this image, it is clear that we are viewing the galaxies side-on."