Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Cetus (Cet)  ·  Contains:  NGC 247
Mini Sculptor Galaxy NGC247, Jeff Coldrey
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Mini Sculptor Galaxy NGC247

Mini Sculptor Galaxy NGC247, Jeff Coldrey
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Mini Sculptor Galaxy NGC247

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Description

NGC 247 is a relatively small spiral galaxy with a diameter of 70,000 light years. It's located approximately 11 million light years away in the Sculptor Galaxy Group which has 13 members. One of the peculiar properties of this galaxy is the apparent "void" in the spiral arms which can be seen on the right hand side. It is thought that the stars in the void are “significantly” older than the ones outside it, with the birth of stars in this region slowing down for some reason, having not taken place for around a billion years.

Despite being on my target list for ages, this galaxy always seems to get bumped to the next year due to limited imaging time and other targets. So it's pleasing to have finally captured this charming galaxy, along with its multitude of distant background galaxies.

I had to forego the addition of my Ha data due to tracking issues, but hope to blend some in down the track. I had intended to hold this image in staging until then, but eventually decided to post the LRGB anyway.

Thanks for looking, and clear skies.

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Mini Sculptor Galaxy NGC247, Jeff Coldrey