Centaurus A is a peculiar galaxy located in the southern constellation Centaurus. It is the fifth brightest galaxy in the night sky, the nearest giant galaxy to the Milky Way, and one of the nearest radio galaxies to Earth.
Its exact type is uncertain, but it is usually classified either as a giant elliptical or lenticular galaxy. The galaxy’s exact distance from Earth is also uncertain, but estimates generally range from 10 to 16 million light years.
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The Cartwheel Galaxy is a lenticular galaxy and ring galaxy located in the southern constellation Sculptor. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 496 million light years from Earth. It is about 150,000 light years across in size, which makes it slightly larger than the Milky Way.
The galaxy’s unusual appearance resembles that of a wagon wheel and has earned it the nickname Cartwheel. The galaxy has been tidally distorted by a collision with another galaxy into the ring-and-hub or cartwheel structure for which it is known.
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The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy, also known as Messier 83 (M83), is a barred spiral galaxy located in Hydra constellation. M83 lies at a distance of 15 million light years from Earth. It is one of the nearest and brightest spiral galaxies, and can even be seen in binoculars. The galaxy appears face-on when viewed from Earth.
Messier 83 was nicknamed the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy because of its prominent, very well defined spiral arms, which give the galaxy an appearance similar to the famous Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101), located in Ursa Major. Messier 83 has the designation NGC 5236 in the New General Catalogue.
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The Black Eye Galaxy, also known as Messier 64 (M64), is a famous spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy is also sometimes called the Evil Eye Galaxy or Sleeping Beauty Galaxy. It has the designation NGC 4826 in the New General Catalogue.
M64 lies at an approximate distance of 24 million light years from Earth. It is known for the enormous light-absorbing dust band in front of its central region, which has earned the galaxy the names Black Eye or Evil Eye. The dust band obscures the stars in the galaxy’s bright core.
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The Antennae Galaxies, also known as the Ringtail Galaxy or Arp 244, are a pair of colliding galaxies located in Corvus constellation. The interacting spiral galaxies have the designations NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 in the New General Catalogue.
The galaxy collision resembles an insect’s antennae, which is how the pair got the name. The “antennae” are formed by two long tails of stars, dust and gas expelled from the galaxies as a result of their interaction.
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The Cigar Galaxy, also known as Messier 82 (M82), is a famous nearby starburst galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major.
M82 appears edge-on when seen from Earth. It has five times the luminosity of the Milky Way and lies at an approximate distance of 11.5 million light years. The galaxy’s designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 3034. The galaxy was a site of a type Ia supernova in January 2014.
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