NGC 1409 and NGC 1410 Galaxies

NGC 1409 (also known as UGC 2821) and NGC 1410 (also known as UGC 2821) is a pair of interacting galaxies, located at a distance of around 300 million light years in the constellation of Taurus. The first one was discovered on the 6th of January 1785 by William Herschel, while the second on the 17th of January 1855 by R. J. Mitchell.

NGG 1409 is a lenticular barred galaxy and it is larger than its proximus neighbor. The distance between the pair is around 75,000 light years and both members share a diffuse stellar envelope that has a radius of 160,000 light years.

 

NGC 1410 is also a lenticular, type II Seyfert galaxy. Unlike its nearby neighbor, the galaxy is experiencing star formation. Observations have shown that it is dynamically disturbed, especially on the side that faces NGC 1409.

A lane that consists of dust and gas connects the two galaxies that transfers material to NGC 1409. Its estimated mass is around 300 million solar masses and the rate of mass transfer is around 1-1.5 solar masses per year. 

Image: Composite optical image of NGC 1409/1410 taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. NGC 1409 is on the right side of the image, while NGC 1410 is on the left. The lane that transfer material to NGC 1409, is clearly visible on this image. Starting from NGC 1410, it moves towards NGC 1409, passing from its northern side, ending its core. The image was created using broadband filters that are centred at 585 nm (V-band, blue and green) and 723 nm (R-band, red).

Image Credit: William C. Keel (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa) and NASA/ESA 

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