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The Antennae Galaxies
May 8 2022 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 The Antennae Galaxies are undergoing a galactic collision, and are known as the Antennae Galaxies because the two long tails of stars, gas and dust ejected from the galaxies (as a result of the collision) resemble an insect's antennae. The nuclei of the two galaxies are joining to become one giant galaxy. Most galaxies probably undergo at least one significant collision in their lifetimes. This is likely the future of our Milky Way when it collides with the Andromeda Galaxy! I took 50 5 minute exposures using the remote control telescope at Siding Springs, courtesy of iTelescope.net, in May 2022. Here is an
Annotated View
in which the surrounding common stars (in yellow) and known galaxies (in green) are shown
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