Antennae Galaxies
NGC 4039
Object Data
- Catalog Designation
- C61
- Type
- Galaxy
- Constellation
- Corvus
- Magnitude
- 13.0
- Right Ascension
- 12h 02m 05.8s
- Declination
- -18° 52' 48.0"
- Distance
- 83,000,000 light-years
- Angular Size
- 3
Survey Image
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About Antennae Galaxies
Description
NGC 4039 is the southern component of the Antennae Galaxies in Corvus, about 45 million light-years away. Together with NGC 4038 (C60), this merging pair displays dramatic tidal tails and intense starburst activity from the ongoing collision.
Observing Tips
Visually inseparable from C60 in amateur telescopes. The merged cores appear as a single, irregular, bright glow. See C60 for detailed observing tips.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on February 7, 1785, the same night as NGC 4038. The two were originally cataloged as separate objects but are now understood to be a single interacting system.
Fun Facts
Computer simulations suggest the two galaxies began interacting about 600 million years ago and will eventually merge into a single elliptical galaxy over the next 400 million years.
Community Photos (1)
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA. License: CC BY 4.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026