NGC672 and IC1727 Galaxies

NGC 672 (on the right side of the image) and IC 1727 (in the bottom left) are interacting galaxies some 18 million light years distant. From each other they are separated by only 88,000 light years- little more than their own diameters. While outside of the "Local Group" of galaxies, these two are close enough to begin to resolve some of the brighter stellar associations and dust lanes. This gives the galaxies their granulated and bumpy appearence. By examining these galaxies in the radio wavelengths of light, astronomers have detected a large envelope of gas that surround these galactic friends.