Galaxies in Pisces
The three brightest galaxies in this image can be seen in the same field of view in a typical amateur telescope. They represent three different varieties of galaxy. The bright galaxy in the center is NGC 470, a typical spiral galaxy. At the lower right (to the right of the very bright star) is an elliptical galaxy, NGC 467. To the left of NGC 470 is the most unusual of the three galaxies, NGC 474. It has sometimes been classified an elliptical galaxy and sometimes as a type SO spiral. However, long-duration photographs show that its bright center is surrounded by an complex and twisting array of faint shells, and so NGC 474 has been called a "shell galaxy." These shells were probably formed by gravitational interactions with NGC 470 or some other passing galaxy long ago.
A careful look at NGC 467 shows that it too was affected by an encounter with another galaxy. Below its bright round center is a large faint extension.
NGC 470:
| Magnitude | 11.7 |
| Apparent Size | 2.9' x 1.6' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 160 million |
| Right Ascension | 1:19.7 |
| Declination | +3 25 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Exposure times of 240 minutes luminance and 30 minutes each of red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
October 2017