NGC 55
NGC 55 is an irregular galaxy that may be an edge-on spiral galaxy. It is similar to the Large Magellanic Cloud, a companion to the Milky Way. Both NGC 55 and the LMC are only visible in the southern sky. NGC 55 is a relatively nearby galaxy, at a distance of about five million light years. It resides in a small gathering of galaxies known as the Sculptor Group. The red nebulosities are regions of active star formation in the galaxy. The distorted structure in NGC 55 is likely the result of stellar winds and supernova explosions by hot, massive stars within the galaxy.
| Observatory: | Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Cerro Tololo, Chile |
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| Telescope: | CTIO 0.9-Meter |
| Instrument: | Tek 2048 #3 |
| Astronomer: | T.A. Rector (NOAO/AURA/NSF) |
| Date of Observation: | 08-26-2000 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | B (blue), V (green), R (orange) and Hydrogen-Alpha (red) |
| Exposure Times: | 10 minutes in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Sculptor |
| Field of View: | 13 x 11 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is up and East is to the right |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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