Starship Asterisk*

Exploring the Antennae

Explanation: Some 60 million light-years away in the southerly constellation Corvus, two large galaxies are colliding. Stars in the two galaxies, cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, very rarely collide in the course of the ponderous cataclysm that lasts for hundreds of millions of years. But the galaxies' large clouds of molecular gas and dust often do, triggering furious episodes of star formation near the center of the cosmic wreckage. Spanning over 500 thousand light-years, this stunning view also reveals new star clusters and matter flung far from the scene of the accident by gravitational tidal forces. The remarkably sharp ground-based image, an accumulation of 88 hours of exposure captured during 2012-2021, follows the faint tidal tails and distant background galaxies in the field of view. The suggestive overall visual appearance of the extended arcing structures gives the galaxy pair, also known as Arp 244, its popular name - The Antennae.

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NGC4038/NGC4039 The Antennae Galaxy-Galaxies! A beautiful
marriage taking place!

Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

EricG wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:25 pm Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

Looks like it. Interacting galaxies aren't all that uncommon.

EricG wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:25 pm Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

The interacting pair in the background looks like NGC 5394 and NGC 5395, collectively known as the Heron Galaxy.

Ann

EricG wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:25 pm Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

Well spotted!

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:20 pm

EricG wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:25 pm Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

APOD 31 March 2022 Interacting background galaxies near the Antennae.png

IInteracting background galaxies near the Antennae.

The Heron Galaxy (NGC 5394/5395, right) and the Heron (left). Credit: NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/Gemini Observatory/AURA & Phil Plait

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The interacting pair in the background looks like NGC 5394 and NGC 5395, collectively known as the Heron Galaxy.

Ann

Very cool. I'm surprised how different those two galaxies look compared to many other interacting galaxies I'm remembering that look quite similar. But I'm sure there must be many other odd couples like that.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 9:02 pm

Ann wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 6:20 pm

EricG wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:25 pm Expand the image and look to 2:00, a short distance from the primary subject of the image. Do I see another pair of colliding galaxies?

APOD 31 March 2022 Interacting background galaxies near the Antennae.png

IInteracting background galaxies near the Antennae.

The Heron Galaxy (NGC 5394/5395, right) and the Heron (left). Credit: NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/Gemini Observatory/AURA & Phil Plait

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The interacting pair in the background looks like NGC 5394 and NGC 5395, collectively known as the Heron Galaxy.

Ann

Very cool. I'm surprised how different those two galaxies look compared to many other interacting galaxies I'm remembering that look quite similar. But I'm sure there must be many other odd couples like that.

here's one more for you!