H-NGC3432
Galaxy in Leo Minor
About
Seen almost exactly edge-on, this spiral in Leo Minor lies about 40 million light-years away. A nearby dwarf, UGC 5983, is distorting it and driving star formation; Halton Arp listed it as Arp 206. William Herschel found it in 1787 and it is in the Herschel 400.
Imaging tips
- Roughly 7′ × 2′ and thin: at 3460–5770 mm on APS-C it covers a third to half of a frame about 15′ wide, so plan a long focal length.
- Seen edge-on, so spiral arms are hidden; dust lanes and pink star-forming patches define it, which suits broadband colour.
- The small companion UGC 5983 lies just west of it.
- One imager shot ten 6-minute frames at f/6.3 with a light-pollution filter and got a slightly curved line; another stacked 2.67 hours of luminance.
- At 22.8 mag/arcsec² it is faint. Best around February and March, peaking near 77° from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 7′ × 2′
- Magnitude
- 11.3
- Coordinates
- RA 10h 52.5m, Dec +36° 37′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3460–5770 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Feb, Mar
- Peak altitude
- 77° from 50°N, 88° from 35°N