Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Eridanus (Eri)  ·  Contains:  IC 2040  ·  IC 2041  ·  NGC 1531  ·  NGC 1532
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NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus), Fernando
NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus)
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NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus)

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NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus), Fernando
NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus)
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NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus)

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Description

The pair of galaxies NGC 1531/2, engaged in a spirited waltz, is located about 70 million light-years away towards the southern constellation Eridanus (The River). The deformed foreground spiral galaxy laced with dust lanes NGC 1532 is so close to its companion — the background galaxy with a bright core just above the centre of NGC 1532 — that it gets distorted: one of its spiral arms is warped and plumes of dust and gas are visible above its disc. The cosmic dance leads to another dramatic effect: a whole new generation of massive stars were born in NGC 1532 because of the interaction.

Credit: ESO

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NGC 1531 - 1532 (Interacting galaxies in Eridanus), Fernando