H-NGC1055
Galaxy in Cetus
About
Seen edge-on in Cetus, NGC 1055 lies somewhere between 52 and 60 million light-years off and is on the Herschel 400 list. Its bright bulge is cut by a broad dust lane with a knotty texture. ESO attributes irregularities in its shape to a probable encounter with a big neighbouring galaxy.
Imaging tips
- At 8×3′ it spans a third to half of an APS-C frame at 3030–5050 mm, so a long focal length is needed.
- Faint at 22.7 mag/arcsec². A 20.16-hour LRGB image showed the dust lanes, a warped disc and a faint halo around the thin stellar disc.
- M77 lies about 30′ away, so it needs a wider field. One imager's frame carried two bright foreground stars, one blue and one red.
- Best in October and November; it peaks near 40° altitude from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 8′ × 3′
- Magnitude
- 10.6
- Coordinates
- RA 2h 41.8m, Dec +0° 27′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3030–5050 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Oct, Nov
- Peak altitude
- 40° from 50°N, 55° from 35°N