Fly over the NGC 3640 galaxy group

This video takes you to NGC 3640, an elliptical galaxy located 88 million years away in the constellation of Leo (the lion). A galaxy’s past shapes its present, and for NGC 3640 that doesn’t just refer to its unusual deformity, but also the clusters of stars within. Analysis of these clusters, which contain some of the galaxy’s first-born stars, reveals a violent history of swallowing other galaxies. Fortunately for the smaller galaxy below, NGC 3641 shows no signs of deformity, suggesting NGC 3640 is just far enough away to spare its little companion the same fate.