APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs
The post APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs appeared first on NASA Science .
Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) features three distinct pairs of galaxies, each with its own unique characteristics. The image is accompanied by a brief explanation written by professional astronomer.
The top pair of galaxies in the image, NGC 4650A and an unnamed galaxy, are not currently interacting. However, NGC 4650A is particularly interesting as it is a polar ring galaxy, likely the result of a past galaxy collision. The middle pair, NGC 4650 and an unnamed galaxy, may be gravitationally interacting despite their relative speeds. Of these two, NGC 4650 is a spiral galaxy with a bright bar of stars across its center.
The bottom pair of galaxies, NGC 4622A and NGC 4622B, are actively interacting and may merge into a single galaxy in about a billion years. All three galaxies are likely members of the larger Centaurus Galaxy Cluster. The image was captured by Rafael Sampaio, with text contributed by Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, and Keighley Rockcliffe.
Written by urgent.news from NASA Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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- APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs science.nasa.gov
