This object is a galaxy trio, all located 330 million light years away, in the constellation of Virgo at a declination of +14 degrees. In his
Arp catalog, Dr. Arp classified this object into the category of Double Galaxies with Wind Effects.
The spiral galaxy towards the top is NGC 5221. The disk of this magnitude 14 galaxy spans 1 arc-minutes in our apparent view, which corresponds to a Milky Way like diameter of 120,000 light years. The orange inner region contrasts with the bluish outer disk. I love the structure of this galaxy – two disk rings, each with a distinct “3-dimensional” look. Star streams extend from the disk in 2 directions (above right and below) for a total length of about 500,000 light years.
The orange elliptical galaxy towards the bottom is NGC 5222. Like the spiral above, it has a Milky Way like diameter of 120,000 light years. The small blue spiral just above and left is galaxy VV 315c. It is at the same distance as the elliptical. Both galaxies show some disturbance, likely interacting with each other.
The big question is – what is causing the large star stream plumes of NGC 5221? It is likely one or both of the galaxies below, which are at the same distance away as NGC 5221. But I am unsure why one of the star streams extends so far to the right. Gravitational interactions can result in strange patterns depending upon the galaxy paths, sizes, and rotational axes.
Just below and left of NGC 5222 is a distant spiral hiding behind a foreground star.
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