Vatican Observatory astronomer José Funes, S.J., and Colleagues used the VATT to capture this cosmic merger act. The galaxy is known as Mkn 975, but there are telltale signs that it is really two galaxies coalescing into one: two nuclei (bright white areas) and long tails of material along the outside. The astronomers are looking for other evidence of such galactic close encounters. In addition to Funes, the team that observed Mkn 975 and elaborated this image were Piero Rafanelli (University of Padua, Italy), Gotthard Richter (Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Germany), and Jaan Vennik (Tartu Observatory, Estonia).