| Arp 271 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 5426 (bottom left) and NGC 5427 (top right) | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 14h 03m 25.5s[1] |
| Declination | −06° 02′ 59″[1] |
| Distance | 127 millionlight-years (39Mpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.4[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA(s)c pec[3] (NGC 5426) SA(s)c pec[4] (NGC 5427) |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.5[2] |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 5426 & NGC 5427, LEDA 50084, VV 21a, [VV2000c] J140325.9-060150, AGC 540006, 2MASX J14032604-0601509, VV 21, [VV2003c] J140325.9-060150, APG 271, MCG-01-36-003, [CHM2007] LDC 1026 J140326.04-0601509, [VV2006c] J140325.9-060150, 6dFGS gJ140326.1-060151, NVSS J140326-060149, [CHM2007] HDC 850 J140326.04-0601509, [VV98c] J140325.9-060150, IRAS 14008-0547, UGCA 380, UGCA 381 [HB91] 1400-057. | |
Arp 271 is a pair of similarly sizedinteractingspiral galaxies,NGC 5426 andNGC 5427, in the constellation ofVirgo. It is not certain whether the galaxies are going to eventually collide or not. They will continue interacting for tens of millions of years, creating new stars as a result of the mutual gravitational attraction between the galaxies, a pull seen in the bridge of stars already connecting the two. Located about 130 million light-years away, the Arp 271 pair is about 130,000 light-years across. It was originally discovered in 1785 byWilliam Herschel. It is speculated,[5][6] that theMilky Way will undergo a similar collision in about five billion years with the neighbouringAndromeda Galaxy, which is currently located about 2.6 million light-years away.[7]
Twosupernovae have been observed in NGC 5426:
Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 5427:
![Arp 271 taken by the VIMOS instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope.[16]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aVIMOS%2527s_last_embrace_NGC_5426_and_NGC_5427.jpg)
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