Facts about Arp 299
- 10
A tidal tail stretching outward from Arp 299 provides visible evidence of the gravitational distortion caused by the ongoing collision between its two constituent galaxies.
- 09
Each of the two colliding galaxies in Arp 299 contains a distinct active galactic nucleus, making this system one of the few known examples of a dual AGN system undergoing gravitational interaction.
- 08
Approximately 50 times more stars are currently forming per year in Arp 299 compared to the Milky Galaxy due to the collision-triggered starburst.
- 07
Within Arp 299, the infrared luminosity from dust-enshrouded regions exceeds 10 trillion times the Sun's output, ranking it among the most luminous merging systems in the local universe.
- 06
Gravitational interactions in Arp 299 have displaced gas clouds across both merging galaxies, triggering widespread star formation across multiple regions rather than concentrated in single nuclei.
- 05
Observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal that Arp 299 hosts multiple actively accreting black holes across its merging system, making it exceptionally rich in high-energy sources.
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Radio observations detected a compact nuclear source in Arp 299 that may represent a supermassive black hole actively accreting material during the galaxy merger.
- 03
Intense starburst activity in the colliding galaxies generates approximately 40 times more radiation per unit area than the Milky Way.
- 02
Arp 299 consists of two colliding galaxies NGC 5135 and IC 883 located approximately 134 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.
- 01
Two supermassive black holes in the galaxy pair Arp 299 are expected to merge within the next 24 million years.