NGC 6744


About this image.

NGC 6744 is a majestic spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Pavo. It has great similarities to the Milky Way galaxy in both form and structure. It lies at a distance of approximately 25 million Light Years. At its northern tip NGC6744 is interacting with a dwarf companion galaxy much in the same way the Milky Way interacts with the Large Magellanic Cloud. The northernmost spiral arm is most likely being stretched and its stars and gas stripped due to tidal pull from the dwarf companion. Likewise the stars of the companion will likely be engulfed and the companion will ultimately merge with NGC6744 at a far off future time.

Equipment

Telescope:                 12.5" Ritchey Chretien by RC Optical Systems
Mount:                      Paramount ME by Software Bisque
Instrument:               STL11000M CCD Camera by SBIG, with AO-L

Exposure:                   LRGB 9:5:5:5 Hours with a few more hours Lum shot 2x2
                                to bring out the outer arms.
Capture Software:       CCDAutopilot V4, CCDSOFT 
Processing:                Maxim DL, CCDStack, Photoshop CS3 

Home          Nebulae          Galaxies          Star Clusters          Solar System          Equipment & Observatory          Hello