500 Francs CFA Antennae Galaxy

The Antennae Galaxies — NGC 4038 and NGC 4039 — take their name from the twin tidal tails of stars flung outward during their collision, first observed by William Herschel in 1785. They sit roughly 45 million light-years away in Corvus and have become a standard reference object for studying starburst activity triggered by galactic mergers. BEAC has issued a series of astronomical-themed collector coins under the Central African CFA franc since the mid-2010s, none of which circulate in any practical sense.