Antennae Galaxies
Interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039 or Caldwell 60/Caldwell 61) are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus. They 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 were discovered by William Herschel in 1785.[4]
Quick Facts Observation data (J2000 epoch), Constellation ...
Antennae Galaxies | |
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Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Corvus[1] |
Right ascension | 12h 01m 53.0s / 12h 01m 53.6s[2] |
Declination | −18° 52′ 10″ / −18° 53′ 11″[2] |
Redshift | 1642 ± 12 / 1641 ± 9 km/s[2] |
Distance | 45 Mly / 65 Mly |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.2 / 11.1[2] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SB(s)m pec / SA(s)m pec[2] |
Size | 500,000 ly (150 kpc)[3][lower-alpha 1] |
Apparent size (V) | 5.2′ × 3.1′ / 3.1′ × 1.6′[2] |
Notable features | Interacting galaxies |
Other designations | |
Ringtail Galaxy,[2] NGC 4038 / 4039,[2] PGC 37967 / 37969, Arp 244,[2] Caldwell 60/61, UGCA 264/265[2] |
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