NGC 4676: When Mice Collide
Explanation:
These two mighty galaxies are pulling each other apart.
Known as the "
Mice"
because they have such long tails, each
spiral galaxy
has likely already passed through the other.
The
long
tails are created by the relative
difference between gravitational pulls
on the near and far parts of each galaxy.
Because the distances are so large, the
cosmic
interaction takes place in slow motion --
over hundreds of millions of years.
NGC 4676 lies about 300 million
light-years away toward the constellation of Bernice's Hair
(
Coma Berenices) and are
likely members
of the
Coma Cluster of Galaxies.
The
above picture was taken with the
Hubble Space Telescope's
Advanced Camera for Surveys in 2002.
These galactic mice will probably
collide again and again
over the next billion years until they coalesce to
form a single galaxy.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
