C83
Galaxy in Centaurus
About
NGC 4945, an edge-on barred spiral in Centaurus about 11 million light-years away, nicknamed the Gold Dollar Galaxy. Dust veils a Seyfert 2 nucleus that is among the nearest active ones to Earth. Within the subgroup around Centaurus A, only that galaxy outshines it.
Imaging tips
- A thin streak about 23′ long and 4′ wide: 1040–1730 mm on APS-C frames it, and the long axis suits a frame turned along it.
- Faint for its size at 22.9 mag/arcsec², so plan many hours of broadband data.
- One deep image combined 24 hours of Hα, L, R, G and B data, 900 s per sub, binned 2×2 on a large-aperture telescope.
- Best in March and April, but it never rises from 50°N and peaks near 6° from 35°N.
Facts
- Size
- 23.3′ × 4′
- Magnitude
- 9.3
- Coordinates
- RA 13h 5.5m, Dec −49° 28′
- Framing, APS-C
- 1040–1730 mm
- Framing, full frame
- 1590–2660 mm
- Best months
- Mar, Apr
- Peak altitude
- never rises from 50°N, 6° from 35°N