NGC7479 Propeller Galaxy

 

Object information:

 

Other Designations: Caldwell 44, NGC7479, Propeller Galaxy, Superman Galaxy

Constellation: Pegasus

Distance: 120 M LY

Apparent Magnitude (V): 11

 

 

Description:

The Propeller Galaxy (NGC 7479) is a barred spiral galaxy located about 120 million light-years away from Earth in the northern constellation of Pegasus (the Winged Horse), while it is racing away from us at some 2381 kilometers per second.

 

It has a very asymmetric spiral structure with a bright, long bar. Its tightly wound arms create an inverted ‘S’, as they spin in an

anticlockwise direction. However, at radio wavelengths, it spins the other way, with a jet of radiation that bends in the opposite direction to the stars and dust in the arms of the galaxy.

 

This radio jet in the Propeller Galaxy was probably put into its

bizarre backwards spin by a recent minor merger with another galaxy.

 

NGC 7479 is also classified as a Seyfert galaxy, a galaxy with an

extremely bright, active galactic nucleus (AGN), that contains a

supermassive black hole.

 

[Last year I imaged this galaxy 1314mm focal length (f/6.3). I am now able to image it at 2165mm (f/10). Even at f/10 the galaxy is small, so I have cropped this image slightly.]

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Location: backyard, Richmond, VA

Date: 9-14-2023

Conditions: Clear and cool.

Seeing: average

 

Equipment:

Scope: Celestron C-8

Camera: ASI294MM

Mount: iOptron CEM-70

Filters: Astonomik Deep-Sky RGB, Astronomik L-2 Luminance

Software: Astro Pixel Processor, Pixinsight, Gimp

 

Imaging Settings:

Binning: 2x2

Gain: 120

Temp: -10C

focal length: 2165mm

 

subs:

L 84 x 120s

R 16 x 180s

G 16 x 180s

B 15 x 180s

 

Total integration time: 5 hr 9 min

Done