Title:[1162] Three interacting galaxies Caption:Elliptical galaxy NGC 1199 and companions. This image was made by combining three CCD frames, taken at the Kitt Peak 0.9-m telescope in 1988. By using different filters in front of the monochrome detector, corresponding approximately to the primary colors red, green and blue, it is possible to recreate a true-color picture. Each image was processed to correct for detector sensitivity variations and to remove incorrect regions caused by manufacturing defects and by arrival of cosmic rays at the telescope. NGC 1199 is the large E3 elliptical galaxy towards the top left of this picture, accompanied by a striking face-on barred spiral galaxy (actually classified as SB(s)dm) to the right of the frame (NGC 1189), and lenticular /SO galaxy of spindly appearance at the bottom (NGC 1190). The smaller galaxies visible in this image are all much further away (although proponents of less mainstream views have tried to claim that at least one of the objects near to NGC 1199 can be seen silhouetted in front of the conventionally much closer large elliptical, this position is not widely held). In this color image, we can see the clear difference between the older population II stars in NGC 1199 and in the central bar and bulge of NGC 1189 (red stars being somewhat yellow-orange, since the terminology is more convenient than descriptive), and the younger population I stars in the disk of NGC 1189, where more recent activity is revealed by the glow of new stars. The intermediate appearance of NGC 1190 reflects its intermediate, and slightly confused, morphological type. Copyright: Credit:National Optical Astronomy Observatories/N.A. Sharp