TheSkySearchers

Some great images this week folks. A beautiful shot from the ESO, and also Included are some lunar shots from the Chinese moon rover Yutu-2. You can view all of them here, at:
https://www.space.com/32252-amazing-images.html

Marshall, here is an image I would like to share with the folks. It was the NASA APOD for 22 Nov 2005, and is the galaxy cluster Abell 1185 in Ursa Major. In this image north is up and east to the left.

The most interesting feature is the pair of galaxies that are heavily interacting in the left (east) side of the image. They are catalogued as Arp 105 and have the fairly obvious nickname of "The Guitar." The galaxies NGC 3561 (south) and NGC 3561A (north) form the body of the guitar. Emanating northward from NGC 3561A and forming the neck and head stock of the guitar are the tidal bridge and plume from the interaction. This feature is sometimes called Arp 105N. At the bottom of the guitar body is a small star-like bright knot known as Ambartsumian's Knot. This is a dwarf elliptical galaxy that lies at the end of a very short (visually) tidal bridge. This combination of bridge and galaxy are sometimes referred to as Arp 105S.

This is a very interesting and curious look at the forces involved within a galaxy interaction, and the results are both beautiful and haunting. It is one of my favorites and I wanted to share it with everyone.