Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Corvus (Crv)  ·  Contains:  Antennae  ·  Antennae Galaxies  ·  HD104151  ·  HD104357  ·  HD104440  ·  HD104456  ·  HD104457  ·  HD104496  ·  HD104628  ·  NGC 4027  ·  NGC 4038  ·  NGC 4039
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Antennae Galaxies with Arp 22, Dionysus
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Antennae Galaxies with Arp 22

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Antennae Galaxies with Arp 22, Dionysus
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Antennae Galaxies with Arp 22

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Description

About 1.2 billion years ago, the Antennae were two separate galaxies, with NGC 4038 being a barred spiral and NGC 4039 a spiral galaxy. Around 900 million years ago the Antennae began to approach one another and 600 million years ago the Antennae passed through each other, looking somewhat like the Mice Galaxies. 300 million years ago, the Antennae's stars began to be released from both galaxies. Today the two streamers of ejected stars extend far beyond the original galaxies, resulting in the antennae shape.

Within 400 million years, the Antennae's nuclei will collide and become a single core with stars, gas, and dust around it. Observations and simulations of colliding galaxies suggest that the Antennae Galaxies will eventually form an elliptical galaxy.

NGC 4027 / Arp 22 (top right of image) was likely involved in its own galactic collision in the distant past, giving it a rather charming shape and structure.

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Antennae Galaxies with Arp 22, Dionysus