NGC 1055 Galaxy
NGC 1055 in Cetus
is an edge-on spiral galaxy with a prominent nuclear bulge crossed by a wide, knotty, dark lane of dust and gas. The spiral arm structure appears to be elevated above the galaxy's plane and obscures the upper half of the bulge. Discovered on December 19, 1783 by William Herschel, it is a binary system together with the bright spiral galaxy, M77. These two are the largest galaxies of a small galaxy group that also includes NGC 1073, and five other small irregular galaxies. NGC 1055 is 52,000,000 light-years away from Earth, with a diameter of about 115,800 light-years. The separation between NGC 1055 and M77 is about 442,000 light-years. Many thanks go out to my collaborator and friend, Mike Selby, who acquired and calibrated this fine data.
LARGE
WIDE FIELD
is an edge-on spiral galaxy with a prominent nuclear bulge crossed by a wide, knotty, dark lane of dust and gas. The spiral arm structure appears to be elevated above the galaxy's plane and obscures the upper half of the bulge. Discovered on December 19, 1783 by William Herschel, it is a binary system together with the bright spiral galaxy, M77. These two are the largest galaxies of a small galaxy group that also includes NGC 1073, and five other small irregular galaxies. NGC 1055 is 52,000,000 light-years away from Earth, with a diameter of about 115,800 light-years. The separation between NGC 1055 and M77 is about 442,000 light-years. Many thanks go out to my collaborator and friend, Mike Selby, who acquired and calibrated this fine data.
LARGE
WIDE FIELD