|
Credit & Copyright: Bernard Miller
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 formationi
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
includes narrowband
data that highlights the characteristic red glow of atomic hydrogen
gas in star-forming regions.
The suggestive overall visual appearance of the
extended arcing
structures gives the galaxy pair its popular name - The Antennae.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: NGC 4038 - NGC 4039 - antenna galaxy
Publications with words: NGC 4038 - NGC 4039 - antenna galaxy
See also: