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Hubble Interacting Galaxy ESO 69-6
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Name: ESO 69-6, ESO 069-IG006, AM 1633-682
Description: Interacting Galaxies
Position (J2000): RA 16hr 38m 12.69s Dec -68° 26' 25.4"
Constellation: Triangulum Australe
Distance: 600 million light-years (200 million parsecs)
Instrument: ACS/WFC
Exposure Date(s): April 8, 2002
Exposure Time: 39 minutes
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (U of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook Univ)
Release Date: April 24, 2008
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ABOUT THIS IMAGE:

The galaxies of this beautiful interacting pair bear some resemblance to musical notes on a stave. Long tidal tails sweep out from the two galaxies: gas and stars were stripped out and torn away from the outer regions of the galaxies. The presence of these tails is the unique signature of an interaction. ESO 69-6 is located in the constellation of Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle, about 650 million light-years away from Earth.

This image is part of a large collection of 59 images of merging galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released on the occasion of its 18th anniversary on 24th April 2008.