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NGC 2207 and IC 2163 facts for kids

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NGC2207+IC2163
A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of NGC 2207 and IC 2163.

NGC 2207 and IC 2163 are a pair of colliding spiral galaxies about 80 million light-years away in the constellation Canis Major. Both galaxies were discovered by John Herschel in 1835.

So far four supernovae have been observed in NGC 2207.

NGC 2207 is in the process of stripping IC 2163 of stars and material.

Merging galaxies

NGC 2207 is in the process of colliding and merging with IC 2163. But unlike the Antennae or the Mice galaxies, they are still two separate spiral galaxies. They are only in the first step of colliding and merging. Soon they will collide, probably looking a bit more like the Mice Galaxies. In about a billion years time they are expected to merge and become an elliptical galaxy.

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NGC 2207 and IC 2163 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.