Observing The Ghost Of Mirach Galaxy NGC 404 In Andromeda Constellation

7 months ago
34

In making this video I have used these optical instruments :
Skywatcher Skyliner 300P Flextube 12 Inch Dobsonian Telescope.
Pentax XW 5mm 70 Degrees Eyepiece.
APM HDC 13mm 100 Degree Eyepiece.
Huawei P30 Pro Mobile Phone Camera.
NGC 404 is a field galaxy located about 10 million light years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784, and is visible through small telescopes. NGC 404 lies just beyond the Local Group and does not appear gravitationally bound to it. It is located within 7 arc-minutes of second magnitude star Mirach, making it a difficult target to observe or photograph and granting it the nickname "Mirach's Ghost".

NGC 404 is a very isolated dwarf lenticular galaxy, a bit more luminous and smaller than the Small Magellanic Cloud. Unlike many other early-type galaxies, it is very rich in neutral hydrogen, most of it concentrated on a pair of large rings around it. It also has star formation both on its center and on its outermost regions, albeit at a low level.

Both the outer gas disk and its star formation are assumed to have been triggered by one or several mergers with smaller galaxies roughly 1 billion years ago and it has been proposed NGC 404 is a former spiral galaxy that was transformed into a lenticular one by that event.

Loading comments...