LRGB only

LRGB with Ha

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Catalogue and alternative designations NGC 55

 

Type Galaxy 
Position  00 14 53.6, -39 11 48
Constellation Sculptor
Camera and Telescope STXL11002 and 36.8 cm Ritchey Chretien
Focal Ratio F9
Exposure Details LRGB =240:200:200:160 with Baader filters all unbinned

An additional 4 hours of Hydrogen Alpha (7nm Baader filter) was added in the second image to make the HII regions stand out.

Description NGC 55 is a Magellanic type barred spiral located about 7 million light years away making it one of the closest galaxies to the local group.  With a visual magnitude of 7.9 it is quite bright but isn't imaged all that often probably because it is overlooked for its near neigbour NGC 253. The angular size is 32.4' x 5.6'.  Some texts still classify it as a iregular galaxy but this is now known to be incorrect.