What we see is the ARP 91 system, which is approximately 113 million light years distant from Earth in the constellation of the Serpent. Also known as KPG 468, the system was discovered on April 17, 1784 by British astronomer William Herschel.
A perfect example of galactic interaction
The new image combines data from the NASA / ESA Hubble Space Telescope, the Victor M. Blanco 4m Telescope and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
"The two galaxies that comprise Arp 91 have their own names," said the Hubble astronomers. “The lower galaxy, which looks like a bright spot in this image, is known as NGC 5953; and the ovoid galaxy in the upper right corner is NGC 5954 ".
"Actually, both galaxies are spiral galaxies, but their shapes look very different because they are oriented differently with respect to Earth."
"NGC 5954 is clearly being pulled into NGC 5953. It is the immense gravitational pull of the two galaxies that causes them to interact. Such gravitational interactions between galaxies are common and are an important part of galactic evolution ," the researchers explain.
