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The Tinker Bell Triplet
Using ESO's Very Large Telescope, an international team of astronomers has discovered a stunning rare case of a triple merger of galaxies. This system, which astronomers have dubbed 'The Bird' - although it also bears resemblance with a cosmic Tinker Bell - is composed of two massive spiral galaxies and a third irregular galaxy.
In this image, a 30-min VLT/NACO K-band exposure has been combined with archive HST/ACS B and I-band images to produce a three-colour image of the 'Bird' interacting galaxy system. The NACO image has allowed astronomers to not only see the two previously known galaxies, but to identify a third, clearly separate component, an irregular, yet fairly massive galaxy that seems to form stars at a frantic rate.
Credit:
ESO
About the Image
| Id: | eso0755a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 21 December 2007 |
| Related releases: | eso0755 |
| Size: | 1246 x 1139 px |
About the Object
| Name: | ESO 593-IG 008, The Bird |
| Type: | • Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Interacting • Galaxies |
| Distance: | 650 million light years |
Coordinates
| Position (RA): | 288.629491 ° |
| Position (Dec): | -21.319267 ° |
Colours & filters
| Band | Telescope |
| Infrared K |
Very Large Telescope NACO |
| Optical B |
Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Infrared I |
Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
Images
Wallpapers
