Antennae Galaxies

LRGB-image of the Antennae Galaxies

The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039 or Caldwell 60/Caldwell 61) are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus at about 45 to 65 million light-years distance.

They are currently going through a starburst phase, in which the collision of clouds of gas and dust, with entangled magnetic fields, causes rapid star formation.

They are known as the Antennae Galaxies because the two long tails of stars, gas and dust ejected from the galaxies as a result of the collision resemble an insect's antennae.

Image captured with the Planewave CDK24 telescope and FLI PL9000 camera from Telescope Live in El Sauce Observatory, Chile.

Total integration time of 380 minutes. Combination of:

Luminance: 10 x 600s and 5 x 300s

R: 6 x 600s and 5 x 300s

G: 6 x 600s and 5 x 300s

B: 6 x 600s and 5 x 300

(data 3 one clicks + advanced request 2020)