Arp 87
Date: 29 October 2007
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: Arp 87 (NGC 3808, NGC 3808A)
Copyright: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Arp 87 is a stunning pair of interacting galaxies. Stars, gas, and dust flow from the large spiral galaxy, NGC 3808 (on the right), forming an enveloping arm around its companion (NGC 3808A on the left). The shapes of both galaxies have been distorted by their gravitational interaction.
Arp 87 is located in the constellation of Leo, the Lion, approximately 300 million light-years away from Earth. Arp 87 appears in Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. As also seen in similar interacting galaxies, the corkscrew shape of the tidal material suggests that some stars and gas drawn from the larger galaxy have been caught by the gravitational pull of the smaller one. This image was taken in February 2007 with Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
