Object of the Season

Galaxy Pair NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 in Corvus

The Antennae galaxies form a pair of strongly interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus south of the celestial equator. The pair consists of the two galaxies NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, which are about 66 million light years away. The object was discovered by William Herschel on 7 February 1785.

Galaxy Pair NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 in Corvus - Credit: W4sm astro via Wikimedia Commons
Image credit: W4sm astro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Name
NGC 4038/39
Position (2000)
12 01 53 -18 52 35 (Crv)
Type
Galaxy pair
Visual Magnitude
10.3 mag.
Size
2.0' × 1.25'
Distance
66 Mly
Other Designations
IV 28, h 1052/53, GC 2670/71, UGCA 264/65, PGC 37967/69, ESO 572-47/48, MCG -03-31-14/15, Arp 244, VV 245

Results of the observations of NGC 4038/39 will be published in DSO 196.

Wolfgang Steinicke - Nebulae and Clusters Section Director