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NGC 6744, the Pavo Galaxy - a twin of our Milky
Way |
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Object description:
NGC 6744 is a
difficult object to observe due to its low surface brightness (our picture is
exposed for 6 hours). It forms the center of the so-called Pavo group of
galaxies, which stretches over a length of 7 degrees through the constellation
Pavo (Peacock). This group includes the brighter galaxies NGC 6684, 6684A, IC 4710, IC 4824 and ESO 141-42. All
are located between 25 and 35 million light years from the solar
system.
NGC 6744 is classified as a Hubble-type barred spiral SBbc. The
apparent size is 20 x 13 arcminutes. The galaxy has a distinct spiral
structure, and there is a faint bar at its center. This consists mainly of old
stars, which glow yellowish. The spiral arms show some reddish H-II and many
bluish regions, indicating intense star formation. |
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NGC
6744 is one of the largest spiral galaxies in our wider cosmic neighborhood and
is very similar in shape to our Milky Way, only at 200,000 light-years nearly
twice as large as our home galaxy. Its distance from the solar system is about
33 million light-years. NGC 6744 has an irregular companion galaxy named NGC
6744 A, which is a reminder of the satellite galaxy of our Milky Way - the
Large Magellanic Cloud. NGC 6744 was discovered by the Scottish astronomer
James Dunlop on June 30, 1826.
NGC 6744 was discovered by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on
June 30, 1826.
An image of NGC
6744 from the Hubble Space Telescope
can be found here and more information about an image from
ESO
here.
« Click here or the thumbnail to load a large annoted image
and a size comparison to the full moon. |
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