NGC 4038 & NGC 4039 - Fiery Merger

Two colliding galaxies captured during an extremely dynamic phase of their evolution. The gravitational interaction is compressing enormous amounts of interstellar gas and dust, generating vast star-forming regions highlighted by intense Hα emissions. The long tidal "antennae" are the direct result of the collision between the two galactic systems, progressively distorting their original structures. Evolutionary models also suggest that, in the final stages of the merger, the central nuclei and their probable supermassive black holes may eventually merge as well. To better highlight the active star-forming regions, 4 hours of Hα data were added to the 13-hour LRGB composition.