by Ann » Thu Apr 28, 2016 2:46 pm
Chris Peterson wrote:Ann wrote:This is a very fine image, full of color, structure, gas, dust and stars, plus a few galaxies. There is a really nice spiral galaxy near the top of the picture.
I'd like to look up that galaxy, plus a few of the stars. Does anyone know the coordinates of this image?
The image is about 3° x 5°, centered on RA 159.402, dec 73.388, in Draco. It's rotated 103° east of north.
Thanks, Chris, I think I found it. The galaxy is NGC 3147, or so I think anyway, and it looks quite lovely. It's red though for a spiral galaxy, with a B-V index of 0.82. There appears to be only moderate amounts of star formation in it. According to Principal Galaxy Catalog, NGC 3147 is huge and brilliant (or at least brilliant), almost five times brighter than the Milky Way. Don't take it from me, though, I'm just quoting Principal Galaxy Catalog.
NGC 488. Photo: Adam Block.
NGC 3147 reminds me a little of NGC 488, although NGC 3147 is not quite so fantastically elegant. But NGC 488 is a red spiral galaxy too, even redder than NGC 3147, with a B-V index of 0.87. NGC 488 is also large or at least bright, more than three times brighter than the Milky Way (again according to Principal Galaxy Catalog). Maybe these tightly wound, elegant and not so very starforming spiral galaxies are often large and bright. Of course, NGC 3147 is classified as a Seyfert 2 galaxy with an active galactic core, and since we are looking straight into the maw of the black hole and its likely bright torus, the galaxy will appear extra bright.
I was unable to find the full name of jwinman, and I didn't get his signature quite right, either. You can see the full size of jwinman's picture and see his signature
here.
Ann
EDIT: The NGC 3147 image is by Adam Block and Alex and Mike Beck.
[quote="Chris Peterson"][quote="Ann"]This is a very fine image, full of color, structure, gas, dust and stars, plus a few galaxies. There is a really nice spiral galaxy near the top of the picture.
I'd like to look up that galaxy, plus a few of the stars. Does anyone know the coordinates of this image?[/quote]
The image is about 3° x 5°, centered on RA 159.402, dec 73.388, in Draco. It's rotated 103° east of north.[/quote]
[float=left][img2]http://www.jwinman.com/starcharts/images/NGC%203147.jpg[/img2][c][size=85]NGC 3147. Photo: Adam Block and Alex and Mike Beck
( http://www.caelumobservatory.com/obs/n3147.html ) [/size][/c][/float]Thanks, Chris, I think I found it. The galaxy is NGC 3147, or so I think anyway, and it looks quite lovely. It's red though for a spiral galaxy, with a B-V index of 0.82. There appears to be only moderate amounts of star formation in it. According to Principal Galaxy Catalog, NGC 3147 is huge and brilliant (or at least brilliant), almost five times brighter than the Milky Way. Don't take it from me, though, I'm just quoting Principal Galaxy Catalog.
[float=right][img2]http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/11/12/adamblock_ngc488.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg[/img2][c][size=85]NGC 488. Photo: Adam Block.[/size][/c][/float]
NGC 3147 reminds me a little of NGC 488, although NGC 3147 is not quite so fantastically elegant. But NGC 488 is a red spiral galaxy too, even redder than NGC 3147, with a B-V index of 0.87. NGC 488 is also large or at least bright, more than three times brighter than the Milky Way (again according to Principal Galaxy Catalog). Maybe these tightly wound, elegant and not so very starforming spiral galaxies are often large and bright. Of course, NGC 3147 is classified as a Seyfert 2 galaxy with an active galactic core, and since we are looking straight into the maw of the black hole and its likely bright torus, the galaxy will appear extra bright.
I was unable to find the full name of jwinman, and I didn't get his signature quite right, either. You can see the full size of jwinman's picture and see his signature [url=http://www.jwinman.com/starcharts/NGC%203147%20chart.htm]here[/url].
Ann
EDIT: The NGC 3147 image is by Adam Block and Alex and Mike Beck.