This object is a pair of colliding galaxies located 200 million light years away in the constellation of Lyra. The overall object width of 2 arc-minutes corresponds to a width of 120,000 light years. I don't understand why Arp did not include this object in his
catalog of peculiar galaxies - it would seem to be a perfect fit.
This object is unusual. Many objects, particularly Arp objects, show distant gravitational interactions between galaxies in the form of distortions and star streams. But this object actually shows evidence of a direct collision. Not a collision between the stars of the galaxies, which are widely separated, but between the interstellar media (gas, dust and magnetic fields) of each galaxy.
It looks to me that the small spiral galaxy at top, which is 20,000 light years in diameter, has passed up through the large spiral galaxy, which is about 70,000 light years in diameter. The large spiral galaxy’s yellowish core and the lower portion of the disk are still relatively intact. The upward path of the small galaxy's journey through the large galaxy is outlined by the blue star stream trail, which reflects that star formation has begun as a result of the gas, dust and magnetic field collisions. This is particularly evident in the large bluish knot just below the small galaxy.
I find it interesting that the blue star formation regions, particularly towards the center of the larger galaxy, show up a bit differently in my image vs. the Hubble image of the mouseover.
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