IRAS 06076-2139 is a pair of unusual
interacting galaxies
Interacting galaxies (''colliding galaxies'') are galaxies whose gravitational fields result in a disturbance of one another. Major mergers occur between galaxies with similar amounts of mass, whereas minor mergers involve galaxies with masses ...
located in the
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The first constellati ...
of
Lepus
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genu ...
about 538 million
light years
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by the International Astro ...
[ from ]Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
, making it a local universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...
type galaxy
A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...
. The two galaxies are fairly close to each other at just 200,000 light years. These two galaxies are interacting and rushing by each other at a speed of 2 million kilometers (1,243,000 miles) per hour. Due to their speed, they are unlikely to merge with each other.
References
{{Lepus (constellation)
Interacting galaxies
Lepus (constellation)