Exposures: 2 hrs 50 min lum (10 min subs) and 30 min each of RGB (5 min subs) for total of 4 hrs 20 min.
Also cataloged as NGC 4485 (upper) and NGC 4490 (lower), these interacting galaxies were severely distorted by each other’s gravitational pull during a collision long ago. This pair shows interesting features including the bridge of stars connecting the two galaxies spanning 24,000 light years. A large number of star-forming regions and young star clusters have developed along the facing sides of each galaxy, likely from debris left over from ther collision.
Click here for more information on the Arp Peculiar Galaxies.
FOV =23 x 15 arc minutes
45 million light years away
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