Galaxies in Lynx
Toward the top of this image is NGC 2537, the Bear Paw Galaxy, a blue compact dwarf galaxy. Its diameter is about 20,000 light years, much smaller than our Milky Way's diameter of about 100,000 light years. As can be seen, it has irregular bright blue patches here and there, which are regions of star formation. The much smaller and dimmer galaxy to its left is NGC 2537A, a 3-arm spiral galaxy that is much farther away.
Toward the bottom of this image is IC 2233, an edge-on barred spiral galaxy. From our perspective it appears as a long thin line, thinner than any other galaxy I know of.
NGC 2537:
| Magnitude | 11.6 |
| Apparent Size | 2' x 2' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 28 million |
| Right Ascension | 08:13.2 |
| Declination | +54 27 |
| Field of View | 31' x 23' |
Image details: Exposure times of 120 minutes luminance, 30 minutes red, and 10 minutes each of green and blue, taken with an SBIG STF-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/5.6.
February 2024