Arp 148 is the staggering aftermath of an encounter between two galaxies,
resulting in a ring-shaped galaxy and a long-tailed companion. The
collision between the two parent galaxies produced a shockwave effect that
first drew matter into the center and then caused it to propagate outwards
in a ring. The elongated companion perpendicular to the ring suggests that
Arp 148 is a unique snapshot of an ongoing collision. Infrared
observations reveal a strong obscuration region that appears as a dark
dust lane across the nucleus in optical light.
Arp 148 is nicknamed "Mayall's object" and is located in the constellation
of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, approximately 500 million light-years away.
This interacting pair of galaxies is included in Arp's catalog of peculiar
galaxies as number 148.
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. It was taken by the telescope's Wide
Field and Planetary Camera 2, which was designed and built by JPL.
