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NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are also known as the **Antennae Galaxies**¹²³. They are a pair of **interacting spiral galaxies** in the constellation Corvus, about 70 million light years away from Earth¹².
NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 were two separate galaxies some 1.2 billion years ago. NGC 4039 was a spiral galaxy and the larger of the two, while NGC 4038 was a barred spiral galaxy. The two galaxies started approaching each other roughly 900 million years ago, and began to collide about 600 million years ago¹². The collision triggered intense star formation and produced long tidal tails of stars, gas and dust that resemble insect antennae¹²³.
NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 are currently going through a **starburst phase**, in which the collision of clouds of gas and dust, with entangled magnetic fields, causes rapid star formation. They contain hundreds of young star clusters, some of which are among the most massive and brightest known¹². They also emit X-rays from hot gas and supernova remnants¹².
NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 have an apparent magnitude of **11.2** and **11.1**, respectively². They can be seen with a medium-sized telescope². They appear as a diffuse patch of light near the star Lambda Corvi². They are best seen from the southern hemisphere during spring months².
Kilde: Samtale med Bing, 18.6.2023
(1) Antennae Galaxies - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antennae_Galaxies.
(2) NGC 4038 Group - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_4038_Group.
(3) Antennae Galaxies: NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 – Constellation Guide.
https://www.constellation-guide.com/antennae-galaxies/.
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