Cosmoview Episode 50: The Merging Galaxy Pair NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 (VIDEO)

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

Caption

A new image captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawai‘i reveals a pair of interacting spiral galaxies — NGC 4568 and NGC 4567 — as they begin to clash and merge. These galaxies are entangled by their mutual gravitational field and will eventually combine to form a single elliptical galaxy in around 500 million years. Also visible in the image is the glowing remains of a supernova that was detected in 2020.

Credit

Images and Videos: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/F. Summers (STScI), G. Besla (Columbia University), and R. van der Marel (STScI) Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF's NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab) Music: Stellardrone - A Moment of Stillness

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License

CC BY

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