A new image of the galaxies shows them as they collide, still around 20,000 light-years apart. It’s beautiful but also a reminder of the ultimate fate that awaits our own Milky Way galaxy.

M87*, at the heart of the galaxy Messier 87, and Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), at the centre of the Milky Way. Key to revealing strong, twisted magnetic fields in the image was the use of polarised ...