M 101 – The Pinwheel Galaxy

M 101 – The Pinwheel Galaxy Description: The Pinwheel Galaxy is much larger than our Milky Way galaxy and its distance is estimated at 22 million light years. The fact that it is seen face-on gives it a low surface brightness. It is therefore not easy to observe...

M 106 in “The Hunting Dogs”

M 106 Description: M 106 is a spiral galaxy located 23 million light years away in the constellation Canes Venatici (Hunting Dogs). Although it bears the designation M (Messier’s catalog), Charles Messier has never observed it. It was added to this catalog by...

M 109 – Barred spiral galaxy

M 109 – Barred spiral galaxy Description: M 109 is a fine example of a barred spiral galaxy, ie whose spiral arms are not attached to the nucleus but rather to a more or less long bar which includes the nucleus. The most plausible theory concerning this...

NGC 672 and IC 1727

NGC 672 and IC 1727 Description: This picturesque duo of interacting galaxies is in the constellation Triangulum and is located 24 million light-years from us. A third one, standing vertically, is 540 million light-years away. Many more fainter ones can be seen and...

NGC 772 (Arp 78) – Spiral galaxy

NGC 772 (Arp 78) – Spiral galaxy Description: NGC 772 is a spiral galaxy twice as large as ours and it is 130 million light-years from us. It is also part of the Arp catalog because of its deformation caused by a gravitational interaction with its neighboring...