This beautiful pair of interacting galaxies consists of NGC
5754, the large spiral on the right, and NGC 5752, the smaller
companion in the bottom left corner of the image. NGC 5754's
internal structure has hardly been disturbed by the interaction.
The outer structure does exhibit tidal features, as does the
symmetry of the inner spiral pattern and the kinked arms just
beyond its inner ring. In contrast, NGC 5752 has undergone a
starburst episode, with a rich population of massive and
luminous star clusters clumping around the core and intertwined
with intricate dust lanes. The contrasting reactions of the two
galaxies to their interaction are due to their differing masses
and sizes. NGC 5754 is located in the constellation Bootes, the
Herdsman, some 200 million light-years away. 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. Object Names: NGC 5754, NGC
5752, NGC 5752/4, Arp