Spiral galaxy in Pegasus
NGC 7331 is a large spiral galaxy about 47 million light years away, and about 130,000 light years in diameter. It is also known as Caldwell 30. The galaxy has a bright central region that can be seen in small telescopes as an oblong glow. With larger telescopes, some of the galaxy’s structure can be seen, and so can several smaller galaxies in the vicinity. The four brightest galaxies to the left of NGC 7331 are, from top to bottom, NGC 7336, 7335, 7340, and 7337, and they are listed at magnitudes of about 13 to15. As their smaller apparent sizes suggest, they are background objects, many times farther away than NGC 7331.
| Magnitude | 9.3 |
| Apparent Size | 10.5' x 3.7' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 47 million |
| Right Ascension | 22:37.1 |
| Declination | +34 25 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Exposure times of 45 minutes luminance, 30 minutes red, 30 minutes green, and 36 minutes blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
September 2015