The Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038 and NGC 4039) are a pair of interacting galaxies located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Corvus. These galaxies are named for the long, antenna-like tidal tails of stars and gas that extend from the galactic cores, resulting from their dramatic collision and merging process. The Antennae Galaxies are in the midst of a significant starburst event, where the interaction has triggered the formation of millions of new stars, visible as bright blue clusters scattered throughout the galaxies.

This image of the Antennae Galaxies captures the chaotic beauty of the ongoing cosmic collision, highlighting the vibrant star-forming regions and the intricate tidal tails stretching into space. Although amateur astrophotography equipment may not match the resolution and detail of images taken by space telescopes like Hubble, the dedication and skill of amateur astronomers bring the wonder of these distant galaxies closer to home. The contrast between the dense galactic cores and the ethereal tidal streams showcases the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the universe.

Image Description and Details : CG4 means “Cometary Globule #4” and is a complex of nebulosity and dust with a very peculiar shape (it looks like a concentrate of comets) located in the southern constellation of Poppa. The “head” of the galactic worm has dimensions of about 1.5 light years, while the offshoot that follows the head and which is directed in the opposite direction with respect to the rest of the famous Vela supernova (which is at the center of the huge GUM nebula), it has a length of about 8 light years.
The complex was photographed during ShaRA#4 project; this is a composition of 3 different images in wide field taken with the T3 from Chilescope Service (a very fast 500m f/3.8 Newtonian), processed by Christian Privitera, Andrea Iorio and me (Alessandro Ravagnin). RGB composition, total 2 hours of integration.

Copyright: ShaRA Team