| NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 | |
|---|---|
The Siamese Twins with NGC 4567 (top) and NGC 4568 (bottom) |
|
| Observation data (J2000.0 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 36m 34.3s |
| Declination | +11° 14′ 17″ |
| Distance | 59.4 Mly (18.2 Mpc)[1] |
| Type | SA(rs)bc / SA(rs)bc |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 4.6' × 2.1' |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +10.9 |
| Notable features | colliding galaxies |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 4567/8, UGC 7776 | |
| See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies | |
NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 (nicknamed the Siamese Twins or the Butterfly Galaxies) are a set of spiral galaxies about 60 million light-years away[1] in the constellation Virgo. They were both discovered by Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1784. They are part of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. Only one supernova (SN 2004cc) was observed in the Siamese Twins.
These galaxies may be in the process of colliding and merging with each other. They were named "Siamese Twins" because they look like they're connected.