APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs
APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 10 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. […]
On August 10, 2026, the Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) featured a captivating image showcasing three pairs of galaxies. The first pair, consisting of the top galaxies, does not seem to be interacting currently. However, the blue-striped galaxy NGC 4650A could be the result of a past galaxy collision.
The middle pair of galaxies in the image, though possibly gravitationally interacting, has relative speeds that make such an interaction unlikely. The larger of the two, NGC 4650, is a spiral galaxy with a prominent bar of stars across its center.
At the bottom of the image, the two galaxies appear to be actively interacting. In a billion years, NGC 4622A and NGC 4622B are expected to merge and form a single galaxy.
All three galaxies are likely part of the larger Centaurus Galaxy Cluster. The image, taken by Rafael Sampaio, was provided by the APOD team, which includes Robert Nemiroff, Jerry Bonnell, Cecilia Chirenti, and Keighley Rockcliffe.
Written by urgent.news from NASA'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
