A Pair of Mice

NGC 4676, or the Mice Galaxies, are a pair of spiral galaxies in the constellation Coma Berenices, about 290 million light-years away. They are in the process of colliding and merging. Their name refers to the long tails produced by their tidal action on each other.

The colors of the galaxies are unusual. The dark core of NGC 4676A a is surrounded by a bluish white remnant of spiral arms. It tail starts out blue and ends in a more yellowish color. In most galaxies the spiral arms are yellow near the core yellow and become more blue at their ends. NGC 4676B has a yellowish core blue remnants of a pair of spiral arms.

Image Credit: NASA

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