page_title: NGC 4485
hierarchical_section_title: NGC 4485
caption_attribution_description: English: This image shows galaxy NGC 4485 in the constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). The galaxy is irregular in shape, but it hasn’t always been so. Part of NGC 4485 has been dragged towards a second galaxy, named NGC 4490 — which lies out of frame to the bottom right of this image. Between them, these two galaxies make up a galaxy pair called Arp 269. Their interactions have warped them both, turning them from spiral galaxies into irregular ones. NGC 4485 is the smaller galaxy in this pair, which provides a fantastic real-world example for astronomers to compare to their computer models of galactic collisions. The most intense interaction between these two galaxies is all but over; they have made their closest approach and are now separating. The trail of bright stars and knotty orange clumps that we see here extending out from NGC 4485 is all that connects them — a trail that spans some 24 000 light-years. Many of the stars in this connecting trail could never have existed without the galaxies’ fleeting romance. When galaxies interact hydrogen gas is shared between them, triggering intense bursts of star formation. The orange knots of light in this image are examples of such regions, clouded with gas and dust. A version of this image was entered into the Hubble’s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Kathy van Pelt, and won sixth prize in the “basic image searching” category.
context_page_description: NGC 4485 is an irregular galaxy located in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It is interacting with the spiral galaxy NGC 4490 and as a result both galaxies are distorted and are undergoing intense star formation.
context_section_description: NGC 4485 is an irregular galaxy located in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It is interacting with the spiral galaxy NGC 4490 and as a result both galaxies are distorted and are undergoing intense star formation.
caption: Galaxy NGC 4485 in the constellation of Canes Venatici, taken by Hubble.[1]
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "This image shows galaxy NGC 4485 in the constellation of Canes Venatici (The Hunting Dogs). The galaxy is irregular in shape, but it hasn\u2019t always been so. Part of NGC 4485 has been dragged towards a second galaxy, named NGC 4490 \u2014 which lies out of frame to the bottom right of this image. Between them, these two galaxies make up a galaxy pair called Arp 269. Their interactions have warped them both, turning them from spiral galaxies into irregular ones. NGC 4485 is the smaller galaxy in this pair, which provides a fantastic real-world example for astronomers to compare to their computer models of galactic collisions. The most intense interaction between these two galaxies is all but over; they have made their closest approach and are now separating. The trail of bright stars and knotty orange clumps that we see here extending out from NGC 4485 is all that connects them \u2014 a trail that spans some 24 000 light-years. Many of the stars in this connecting trail could never have existed without the galaxies\u2019 fleeting romance. When galaxies interact hydrogen gas is shared between them, triggering intense bursts of star formation. The orange knots of light in this image are examples of such regions, clouded with gas and dust. A version of this image was entered into the Hubble\u2019s Hidden Treasures image processing competition by contestant Kathy van Pelt, and won sixth prize in the \u201cbasic image searching\u201d category.", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)"}