Visualisation of Arp 142

This visualisation examines the three-dimensional structure of Arp 142, a pair of interacting galaxies nicknamed the Penguin and the Egg, as seen in near-infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope.

The Penguin, a spiral galaxy catalogued as NGC 2936, has passed by the Egg, an elliptical galaxy catalogued NGC 2937, seen at left.

During this gravitational encounter, the pancake-like shape of the spiral galaxy has become stretched and twisted. The stretched-out lower part of the spiral galaxy looks like the body of a penguin, and the galaxy’s central bulge forms its eye. The far side of the Penguin has twisted to extend away from us, producing what looks like a beak. In contrast, the elliptical galaxy has been slightly elongated, producing the egg-like shape.

Examining these galaxy structures in three dimensions helps us better understand how galaxy encounters develop.