On the cusp of the new year, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured two galaxies merging into one 230 million light-years away.

The image above shows the galaxy NGC 6052, a "new" galaxy in the process of forming.

(ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt)

The photos taken last month show NGC 6052, , according to ESA. It was formed by two separate galaxies that gravity gradually pulled toward each other until they collided. Now they’re in the process of creating a single structure in the constellation of Hercules..

(WATCH: )

NASA eports that, as the merging process continues, individual stars are displaced from their original orbits and thrown onto entirely new paths, some of which are far from where the collision occurred. The light-producing stars give the “galaxy” a chaotic look which will eventually settle into a more stable shape over time, one that may not look like either of the two original galaxies.

throughout the universe, Space.com reports. The Milky Way itself is on a collision course with the Andromeda galaxy. In about 4 billion years, the two will merge and transform Earth’s night sky.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Biggest Telescopes in the World