APOD: 2026 August 10 – Three Galaxy Pairs

NASA Science is sharing a cosmic portrait of three galaxy pairs in varying states of interaction. The featured image shows contrasting scenarios: NGC 4650A is a polar ring galaxy that may be the aftermath of a past galaxy collision, while nearby NGC 4650 is a spiral galaxy with a bright central bar. In a more dramatic partnership, NGC 4622A and NGC 4622B are actively colliding—a process that may take around a billion years before they merge into a single galaxy. All three pairs likely belong to the Centaurus Galaxy Cluster, a vast family of galaxies bound together by gravity.

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