Mice Galaxies
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{{Infobox Galaxy
| name = [[New General Catalogue|NGC]] 4676A / 4676B
| image = [[Image:NGC4676.jpg|300px]]
| caption = The Mice Galaxies, NGC 4676A (right)/NGC 4676B (left)
| epoch = [[J2000]]
| type = Irr / SB(s)0/a pec<ref name="ned">{{cite web
| title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
| work=Results for NGC 4676A / 4676B
| url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/
| accessdate=2006-11-21 }}</ref>
| ra = {{RA|12|46|10.1}} / {{RA|12|46|11.2}}<ref name="ned" />
| dec = {{DEC|+30|43|55}} / {{DEC|+30|43|22}}<ref name="ned" />
| dist_ly = 290 [[light-year|Mly]] (89 [[parsec|Mpc]])<ref name="chien">{{cite journal
| first = Li-Hsin
| last = Chien
| coauthors = Barnes, Joshua E., Kewley, Lisa J., Chambers, Kenneth, C.
| title = Multiobject Spectroscopy of Young Star Clusters in NGC 4676
| year = 2007
| date = May 2007
| journal = The Astrophysical Journal
| volume = 660
| issue = 2
| pages = L105–L108
| url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2007ApJ...660L.105C
| doi = 10.1086/518215}}</ref>
| z = 6613 ± 8 / 6607 ± 7 km/[[second|s]]<ref name="ned" />
| appmag_v = 14.7 / 14.4<ref name="ned" />
| size_v = 2′.3 × 0′.7 / 2′.2 × 0′.8<ref name="ned" />
| constellation name = [[Coma Berenices]]
| notes = Interacting galaxies
| names = Mice Galaxies,<ref name="ned" /> [[Index Catalogue|IC]] 819 / 820,<ref name="ned" /> [[Uppsala General Catalogue|UGC]] 7938 / 7939,<ref name="ned" />
<br>[[Principal Galaxies Catalogue|PGC]] 43062 / 43065,<ref name="ned" /> [[Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies|Arp]] 242<ref name="ned" />
}}
'''NGC 4676''', or the '''Mice Galaxies''', are two [[Spiral galaxy|spiral galaxies]] in the [[constellation]] [[Coma Berenices]]. About 290 million [[light-year]]s away,<ref name="chien" /> they are presently in the process of colliding and merging. Their name refers to the long tails produced by [[tidal force|tidal action]] — the relative difference between gravitational pulls on the near and far parts of each galaxy — known here as a [[galactic tide]].
Members of the [[Coma galaxy cluster|Coma cluster]], it is a possibility that both galaxies have experienced collision, and will continue colliding until they coalesce.
The colors of the galaxy are peculiar. In the upper galaxy (NGC 4676A, to the right in the photo), a core with some dark markings is surrounded by a bluish white remnant of spiral arms. The tail is unusual, starting out blue and terminating in a more yellowish color, despite the fact that the beginning of each arm in virtually every spiral galaxy starts yellow and terminates in a bluish color. The lower galaxy (NGC 4676B, to the left) is closer to normal, with a yellowish core and two arcs; arm remnants underneath are bluish as well.
==See also==
*[[Antennae Galaxies]]
*[[Interacting galaxy]]
*[[NGC 7318]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040612.html APOD: When Mice Collide (6/12/04)]
*[http://www.astrographics.com/GalleryPrintsIndex/GP0064.html astrographics.com: Mice Galaxies]
*[http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~barnes/talks/ifaopen00/mice.html The Mice Galaxies]
[[Category:Lenticular galaxies]]
[[Category:Peculiar galaxies]]
[[Category:Interacting galaxies]]
[[Category:Irregular galaxies]]
[[Category:Barred lenticular galaxies]]
[[Category:Coma Cluster]]
[[Category:Coma Berenices constellation]]
[[Category:NGC objects]]
[[Category:IC objects]]
[[Category:UGC objects|07938]]
[[Category:PGC objects|43062]]
[[Category:Arp objects|242]]
[[de:NGC 4676B]]
[[es:Los Ratones]]
[[eo:NGC 4676B]]
[[fr:NGC 4676A]]
[[it:Galassie Topo]]
[[lb:NGC 4676A]]
[[pl:NGC 4676]]
[[ru:NGC 4676B]]
[[sk:NGC 4676]]
[[zh:雙鼠星系]]