NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 - The Antennae Galaxies

This is an image of NGC 4038 and NGC 4039, also known as Caldwell 60/61 or the Antennae Galaxies. Theses are a pair of interacting galaxies about 45 million light years away in the constellation Corvus. The object gets its nickname of the Antennae Galaxies from the two long trails of stars, gas, and dust ejected from the galaxies as a result of the collision. This image shows the likely future of our galaxy as it is expected to collide with the Andromeda galaxy.