| Name | Antennae Galaxies |
| Designation(s) | Arp 244, NGC 4038/39, C60/61 |
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), Arp, Caldwell, NGC |
| Arp Category | Galaxies with the appearance of fission |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Corvus |
| Date and Time Observed | 2024-05-02 22:17:00 |
| Instrument | EdgeHD 8" f10-2,032mm FL |
| Camera | ASI294mc-Pro |
| Image Details | Up is 271.5 degrees E of N. Total integration time was 29m 30s. Exposures 30s@305g, UV/IR Cut Filter. Darks subtracted, no flats. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. |
| Description | First observation of the night, on an evening when it wasn't forecast to be clear at all. Turned out to be clear enough, though we struggled with some high clouds. We'd decided to capture 30 minutes, but cut things short by 30s when the brightness filter on SharpCap rejected the last 5 lights. The dust lanes which appear to show ejecta from each of the two galaxies are quite evident; if you can't see them, please boost the brightness on your monitor. This does appear to show two galaxies in a well-advanced merger: the original spiral structures are heavily distorted; somewhat evident in NGC 4038 (right), and largely destroyed in 4039. While the notion of a merger is well accepted now, Arp usually interpreted galaxies as breaking apart or ejecting matter. Hence his categorization of these "with the appearance of fission". |
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