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Birthday · August 10, 2026

Three Galaxy Pairs

August 10, 2026

Light takes eight minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth. It took the universe 13.8 billion years to make you.

Three Galaxy Pairs

A little universe, just for you

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APOD published August 10, 2026. Credit: Rafael Sampaio. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

Behind the image

Three Galaxy Pairs

Original APOD · August 10, 2026

ch 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. Explore the Universe: Random APOD Generator

Image credit: Rafael Sampaio

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