Arp244 — Antennae Galaxies
Galaxy in Corvus
About
NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, the Antennae, two spiral galaxies in Corvus colliding about 60–70 million light-years away. Their long curved tails of stars and gas look like insect antennae. Arp listed the pair among galaxies with the appearance of fission; the two are also C60 and C61.
Imaging tips
- Too small to frame: the pair needs a long focal length and a fine pixel scale.
- The two galaxies, C60 and C61, lie only about 1.4′ apart, so both sit in one field.
- Broadband suits galaxies. A 1.7-hour B, V and R set showed the pair and distinct tails; the faint tails and background galaxies took 88 hours across nine years.
- Low from northern sites: best around March and April, peaking near 21° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 5′ × 3′
- Magnitude
- 10.9
- Coordinates
- RA 12h 1.9m, Dec −18° 53′
- Framing, APS-C
- longer than 4000 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Mar, Apr
- Peak altitude
- 21° from 50°N, 36° from 35°N