Irregular galaxy NGC 4485, HST image

Irregular galaxy NGC 4485, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image. This galaxy is irregular in shape, caused by an interaction with a nearby galaxy. Part of NGC 4485 has been dragged towards a second galaxy (NGC 4490) which is out of frame towards bottom right. Between them, these two galaxies make up a galaxy pair called Arp 269, and have turned from spiral galaxies into irregular ones. When galaxies interact hydrogen gas is shared between them, triggering intense bursts of star formation. The orange knots of light at lower right are examples of such regions, clouded with gas and dust. NGC 4485 is 25 million light years from Earth, in the constellation of Canes Venatici. This optical image was obtained with the HST's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Image published in 2014. Photo by NASA/ESA/Hubble/STScI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY