NGC 4038-39 - Pec

NGC 4038-39

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Type: Pec

Filter: B

Telescope: CTIO 1.5-m
North up , East left
Field Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.9 arcminutes

RC3 Type: SB(s)m pec+SA(s)m pec
RSA Type: Sc(tides)+Sc(tides)
Surface Brightness Range Displayed: 18.0-26.0 mag per square arcsec
Absolute Blue Magnitude: -21.4
Elmegreen Spiral Arm Class: AC 1

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Description:

This bright pair of merging galaxies, known as the ``Antennae" because of the two conspicuous tidal tails emerging in opposite senses from the inner regions, has considerable star formation and dust in the two inner lobes (shown in the closeup B-I image). The system represents a major collision between two galaxies, and the early stage of a merger . Much of the inner star formation was induced by the collision (e.g., Whitmore and Schweizer 1995). The luminosity function of clusters that dot the inner sections shows a power-law distribution (Whitmore et al. 1999). The nuclei of the two galaxies stand out strongly in the I-band image, suggesting that two spirals are colliding.