images

Galaxies NGC 4438 and NGC 4435 in Virgo

by

ESO/Novapix

Reference

a-gax44-38002

Date

2011-10-02

These interacting galaxies (NGC 4438 up and NGC 4435 at bottom) lie in the heart of the Virgo galaxy cluster at about 50 million light years away. NGC 4438 (Arp 120) is a peculiar galaxy with a supermassive black hole in its center. NGC 4438, is thought to have once been a spiral galaxy that was strongly deformed by collisions in the relatively recent past. Image taken with the FORS2 instrument on the Very Large Telescope.