Boxes and Galaxies, 12th May 2024
Boxes and Galaxies
This is the galaxy NGC 4449, or Caldwell 21, also known as 'The Box Galaxy'. It's relatively close, around 10 million light years, and at around one fifth of the dimensions of our own galaxy, is classified as an irregular dwarf galaxy.
(Click/Tap the image to go to a better resolution version)
As is my habit, I've cropped this image to include another object of interest. The box galaxy is top right, in the bottom left corner there is a much fainter, but similarly sized, patch of lightness. This is the dwarf irregular galaxy PGC 40904. Surprisingly (given its faintness) it is actually closer, around 8.5 million light years.
The brightest star in the image is in the top right corner, magnitude 9.8 (not bright at all).
Image details:
139 25 second exposures at ISO 4000.
Mid point 00:45 BST on 12th May 2024.
My second target on the 12th May (after an intervening stretch of daylight) is the "The Box".
This is a grouping of 4 galaxies (Hickson 61) consisting of:
NGC 4175 (top left corner of the box in my image), an edge on barred spiral about 197 million light years distant;
NGC 4174 (bottom left), spiral galaxy about 193 million light years away;
NGC 4169 (bottom right), spiral galaxy about 193 million light years away;
and NGC 4173 (top right), spiral galaxy about 50 million light years away (the odd one out).
(Click/Tap the image to go to a better resolution version)
The box is on the right of the image. The bright yellow star on the left is magnitude 7.6 (not bright). To the left of this is a face on spiral galaxy, NGC 4185, around 200 million light years away.
Image details:
153 30 second exposures at ISO 4000.
Mid point 23:40 BST on 12th May 2024.
Remember, check out the home page of this blog for other posts, including the best images from previous years.
12th May 2024.
As I search for objects in the sky I haven't previously imaged, the pictures become less spectacular, but no less interesting. Just before midnight on the 11th May I returned to the object I failed to take a picture of back on 30th March.This is the galaxy NGC 4449, or Caldwell 21, also known as 'The Box Galaxy'. It's relatively close, around 10 million light years, and at around one fifth of the dimensions of our own galaxy, is classified as an irregular dwarf galaxy.
(Click/Tap the image to go to a better resolution version)
As is my habit, I've cropped this image to include another object of interest. The box galaxy is top right, in the bottom left corner there is a much fainter, but similarly sized, patch of lightness. This is the dwarf irregular galaxy PGC 40904. Surprisingly (given its faintness) it is actually closer, around 8.5 million light years.
The brightest star in the image is in the top right corner, magnitude 9.8 (not bright at all).
Image details:
139 25 second exposures at ISO 4000.
Mid point 00:45 BST on 12th May 2024.
My second target on the 12th May (after an intervening stretch of daylight) is the "The Box".
This is a grouping of 4 galaxies (Hickson 61) consisting of:
NGC 4175 (top left corner of the box in my image), an edge on barred spiral about 197 million light years distant;
NGC 4174 (bottom left), spiral galaxy about 193 million light years away;
NGC 4169 (bottom right), spiral galaxy about 193 million light years away;
and NGC 4173 (top right), spiral galaxy about 50 million light years away (the odd one out).
(Click/Tap the image to go to a better resolution version)
The box is on the right of the image. The bright yellow star on the left is magnitude 7.6 (not bright). To the left of this is a face on spiral galaxy, NGC 4185, around 200 million light years away.
Image details:
153 30 second exposures at ISO 4000.
Mid point 23:40 BST on 12th May 2024.
That's the end of the Boxes and Galaxies post.
Remember, check out the home page of this blog for other posts, including the best images from previous years.
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