| 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. Transparency: Good. Seeing: Fair. 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 | Discovered by William Herschel in 1785, and included in Halton Arp's "Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies". This is an entertaining target showing two bright galaxies in an intimate embrace, with a long narrow filament extending behind, and appearing to terminate at a tiny dwarf galaxy. The filaments are quite evident in the color image; if you can't see them, please boost the brightness on your monitor and zoom into the image. Fission or merger I suppose are symmetrical notions, so one can draw either conclusion from the heavily distorted structures; 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". I remain skeptical though admire his contrarian spirit. |
| Related Observations | C60 (2) C61 (2) NGC4038 (2) NGC4039 (2) |
| Catalog Links | |
