Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda
This galaxy is well known among astronomers because of its special orientation: It is seen just about pefectly edge-on from our viewpoint. It features a broad dust lane cutting through its center. The galaxy is fairly dim when observed through a typical amateur telescope. The spindle shape is not hard to see, but seeing the dust lane is more challenging, and is said to require a telescope of at least 8 inches aperture.
| Magnitude | 10.8 |
| Apparent Size | 13.5' x 2.5' |
| Distance (light yrs) | 27 million |
| Right Ascension | 2:22.6 |
| Declination | +42 21 |
| Field of View | 29' x 22' |
Image details: Exposure times of 96 minutes luminance and 48 minutes each of red, green and blue, taken with an SBIG ST-8300M imager and a 14" Meade LX850 telescope at f/6.
January 2018