NGC 4038/39
Date: 13 February 1996
Satellite: ISO
Depicts: Antennae Galaxies NGC 4038/9
Copyright: ESA/ISO, CEA Saclay and ISOCAM Consortium
Starbursts in Colliding Galaxies
Contrasting regions of intensive star formation appear in infrared light from a pair of galaxies in collision, observed by the European Space Agency's new Infrared Space Observatory, ISO. The Camera in ISO (also called ISOCAM) obtained this image at a wavelength of 15 microns, where the Earth's atmosphere makes cosmic observations very difficult - hence the need for Europe's space telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
