7 breathtaking pictures of Interacting Galaxies shared by NASA

The Antennae Galaxies (also known as NGC 4038/NGC 4039 or Caldwell 60/Caldwell 61) are a pair of interacting galaxies in the constellation Corvus. 

Centaurus A (also known as NGC 5128 or Caldwell 77) is a galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. It is the fifth brightest galaxy in the sky and only about 13 million light-years away from Earth

This striking image from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope captures the interacting galaxy pair known as Arp-Madore 2339-661.

The peculiar spiral galaxy ESO 415-19, which lies around 450 million light-years away, stretches lazily across this image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The interacting galaxy duo is collectively called Arp 143. The pair contains the glittery, distorted, star-forming spiral galaxy NGC 2445 at right, along with its less flashy companion, NGC 2444 at left.

Arp 273 is a pair of interacting galaxies, 300 million light years away in the constellation Andromeda. 

This image from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope features Arp 72, a very selective galaxy group that only includes two galaxies interacting due to gravity: NGC 5996 and NGC 5994.

Credit: NASA