Researchers spot colliding galaxies interacting in the early universe

The earliest eons of the universe were turbulent and violent.  Newly found data shows that back then — just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang set this cosmic experiment in motion — a group of 14 galaxies in the midst of star formation merged and interacted with one another.  SEE ALSO: Astonishingly detailed map of the Milky Way will blow your mind The galaxies found in the new data, which was collected by the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) ALMA and APEX telescopes, are known as starburst galaxies.  These types of galaxies form thousands of stars each year, as opposed to a more typical galaxy like our own, which only forms a few annually.  Read more...More about Space, Science, Space Photos, Stars, and Galaxies