M32 — Le Gentil
Galaxy in Andromeda
About
Le Gentil, a compact elliptical galaxy in Andromeda about 2.5 million light-years away and a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy. Half its stars sit in a dense core, which also hosts a central black hole of a few million solar masses.
Imaging tips
- About 8′ × 6′: 3,030–5,050 mm on APS-C is a close crop. A wider frame shows it beside M31.
- One imager of the M31 group placed M32 inside the outer glow of M31's disk, and the wide 106 mm refractor shot took 1.5 h.
- A deep M31 mosaic took 53.5 h of luminance panels from a 24-inch reflector, so a satellite-focused frame is much cheaper.
- Galaxy with no star formation, so broadband only. Best around September and October, nearly overhead from 50°N.
Facts
- Size
- 8′ × 6′
- Magnitude
- 8.7
- Coordinates
- RA 0h 42.7m, Dec +40° 52′
- Framing, APS-C
- 3030–5050 mm
- Framing, full frame
- longer than 4000 mm
- Best months
- Sep, Oct
- Peak altitude
- 81° from 50°N, 84° from 35°N