NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope released on May 2, 2011 shows a much broader view of the Meathook Galaxy, or NGC 2442, which has a dramatically lopsided shape, taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla, Chile, very clearly shows the double hook shape that gives the galaxy its nickname. This image also captures several other galaxies close to NGC 2442 as well as many more remote galaxies that form a rich backdrop. Although the Wide Field Imager, on the ground, cannot approach the sharpness of images from Hubble in space, it can cover a much bigger section of sky in a single exposure. The two tools often provide complementary information to astronomers.
A close-up image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope released on May 2, 2011 shows the Meathook Galaxy, or NGC 2442, in the southern constellation of Volans (The Flying Fish), that is easily recognised for its asymmetric spiral arms. The galaxy’s lopsided appearance is thought to be due to gravitational interactions with another galaxy at some point in its history — though astronomers have not so far been able to positively identify the culprit.
NGC 2623 (Arp 243) - A very bright and bizarre galaxy
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