Galaxy Cluster in Cetus
This rich group includes 10 galaxies from the New General Catalog (NGC) that are identified in the roll-over image, along with several dozen more galaxies that are visible in this field. Despite its impressive distance of about 250 million light years, several of the cluster's brightest galaxies can be seen in amateur telescopes.
There is also the unusual feature known as Minkowski's object, which appears as a small blue patch on the edge of the galaxy NGC 541. This galaxy is a strong emitter of radio waves, and images in other wavelengths show a large jet stretching from the galaxy's center to Minkowski's object. Astronomers have found that Minkowski's object is a region of intense star formation. An abundance of hot blue-white stars gives the object its distinctive color.
NGC 541:
| Magnitude | 12.2 |
| Apparent Size | 2.1' x 1.5' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 250 million |
| Right Ascension | 1:24.7 |
| Declination | -1 23 |
| Field of View | 40' x 30' |
Image details: Exposure times of 108 minutes luminance, 18 minutes red, 18 minutes green and 9 minutes blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade telescope at f/4.2.
December 2017