IC 5298
Date: 24 April 2008
Satellite: Hubble Space Telescope
Depicts: IC 5298
Copyright: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
This is a beautiful face-on spiral galaxy with two long arms extending from the central bulge and curving back amongst the scattered stars, gas and dust. A nearby smaller companion is linked by a bridge of matter to the principal galaxy in an interaction reminiscent of the famous Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. There is also a third faint, irregular galaxy, visible at the top of the image that is also linked by a bridge of matter and probably involved in the interaction.
This image is part of a large collection of 59 images of merging galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released on the occasion of its 18th anniversary on 24 April 2008.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
