                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    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.

                               2026 August 10
   A dark starfield shows three pairs of galaxies. One pair near the top,
        one near the middle, and one near the bottom. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                             Three Galaxy Pairs
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Rafael Sampaio

   Explanation: Each of these pairs of galaxies is different. The two
   galaxies at the top are likely not interacting, at least presently.
   However, the top galaxy with the blue stripe, NGC 4650A, is a polar
   ring galaxy and may be the result of a past galaxy collision. The two
   galaxies in the middle of the featured image appear like they could be
   interacting gravitationally -- but their relative speeds make this
   unlikely. Of these two, the larger galaxy, NGC 4650, is a spiral galaxy
   with a bright bar of stars across its center. The two galaxies at the
   bottom are actively interacting. Possibly in a billion years or so, NGC
   4622A and NGC 4622B will merge and become one single galaxy. All of
   these galaxies are likely members of the larger Centaurus Galaxy
   Cluster.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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