Hubble's newest camera takes a deep look at two merging galaxies

Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), the newest camera on NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, has captured a spectacular pair of galaxies engaged in a celestial dance of cat and mouse or, in this case, mouse and mouse.

Located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices, the colliding galaxies have been nicknamed "The Mice" because of the long tails of stars and gas emanating from each galaxy. Otherwise known as NGC 4676, the pair will eventually merge into a single giant galaxy.

Credit:

NASA, Holland Ford (JHU), the ACS Science Team and ESA

About the Image

Id:heic0206b
Type:Observation
Release date:30 April 2002, 15:00
Related releases:heic0206
Size:3857 x 2893 px

About the Object

Name:Mice Galaxies, NGC 4676
Type:Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Interacting
Distance:300 million light years
Constellation:Coma Berenices
Category:Galaxies

Image Formats

r.titleLarge JPEG
2.6 MB
r.titleScreensize JPEG
95.4 KB

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r.title1600x1200
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r.title1920x1200
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Coordinates

Position (RA):12 46 10.40
Position (Dec):30° 43' 38.77"
Field of view:3.21 x 2.41 arcminutes
Orientation:North is 64.6° right of vertical


Colours & filters

BandWavelengthTelescope
Optical
B
475 nm Hubble Space Telescope
ACS
Optical
V
606 nm Hubble Space Telescope
ACS
Infrared
I
804 nm Hubble Space Telescope
ACS

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