Antennae Galaxies

A textbook galactic collision flinging two vast tidal tails of stars — a preview of the Milky Way’s fate.

Core Principles & Analysis

• The two long streamers of flung stars give the pair its insect-antenna name.
• The merger has ignited thousands of young super star clusters.
• It previews the Milky Way–Andromeda collision expected in roughly four and a half billion years.

Specifications & Metrics

• GALAXY TYPE: Interacting pair (NGC 4038/4039)
• DISTANCE: 45 million light-years
• DIAMETER: ~500,000 light-years with tails