This image shows two galaxies engaged in a gravitational dance.
NGC 5394 (the smaller galaxy with two curving blue arms) and 5395 have
passed through each other, distorting the arms and igniting new star
formation in both galaxies, and leaving a trail of galactic debris
across the face of NGC 5395. These interacting galaxies are about
165 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici.
This pair is sometimes called "the heron," and if you use a bit of imagination
you can see NGC 5395 as the bird's body, and NGC 5394 as its long neck, head,
and beak about to catch a fish (actually a more distant galaxy.

Image data:
Camera: SBIG STL-11000
Telescope: 12.5" Hyperion
Exposure: Luminance 15 minutes x 19; RGB 15 minutes x 4 each