Arp 299
| Arp 299 | |
|---|---|
Arp 299 with NGC 3690 (left) & IC 694 (right), imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Right ascension | 11h 28m 33.13s |
| Declination | +58° 33′ 58.0″ |
| Redshift | 0.010 |
| Distance | 130 Mly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SBm pec. / IBm pec. |
| Apparent size (V) | 2′.4 × 1′.9 |
| Notable features | interacting galaxies |
| Other designations | |
| IC 694, NGC 3690, VV 118, Mrk 171 | |
Arp 299 (parts of it also known as IC 694 and NGC 3690) is a pair of colliding galaxies approximately 134 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Both of the galaxies involved in the collision are barred irregular galaxies. NGC 3690 was discovered on 18 March 1790 by German-British astronomer William Herschel.
It is not completely clear which object is historically called IC 694. According to some sources, the small appendage more than an arcminute northwest of the main pair is actually IC 694, not the primary (eastern) companion.
The interaction of the two galaxies in Arp 299 produced young powerful starburst regions similar to those seen in II Zw 96.