What makes these galaxies particularly striking is that, when viewed NGC 4039 and NGC 4038 together, the central region of their interaction resembles a heart shape. This visual resemblance has earned it nicknames like the “Cosmic Heart”. The heart-like appearance is created by the overlapping dusty cores of the two galaxies, along with intense regions of star formation triggered by the collision.
Total integration: 25h 20m
– L: 6h 50m (82 × 300″)
– R: 5h 5m (61 × 300″)
– G: 3h 45m (45 × 300″)
– B: 3h 50m (46 × 300″)
– Hα: 5h 50m (70 × 300″)
Equipment:
– Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 14″ (f/7)
– Camera: ZWO ASI533MM and Playerone Posseidon-m
– Mount: Software Bisque Paramount MX+ GEM
– Filters: Astronomik HaLRGB