NGC 4038/4039

The spiral galaxies NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 form together the famous Antennae Galaxies, named after  the long tails of gas, dust and stars they eject. These antennae are the results of a recent collision between the two galaxies. Due to their proximity of about 70 million light years they are the nearest and youngest pair of colliding galaxies in our galactic neighbourhood.

The collision of the galaxies created a massive concentration of gas, which can not only be found in the hearts of the two galaxies but also in the chaotic regions where they are colliding and in the anntenae. This gas is the building material for a new generation of stars which is born therein.