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Credit & Copyright: Robert Gendler
Explanation:
This intriguing trio of galaxies is sometimes
called the NGC 5985/Draco Group
and so (quite reasonably) is located in the northern
constellation
Draco.
From left to right are
face-on spiral NGC 5985,
elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and
edge-on spiral NGC 5981 --
all within this single
telescopic
field of view spanning a little more than
half the width of the full moon.
While this grouping is far too small to be a
galaxy cluster
and has not been
cataloged
as a compact group,
these galaxies do lie roughly 100 million light-years from planet Earth.
On close examination with spectrographs, the bright core of the
striking face-on spiral NGC 5985 shows
prominent emission in specific wavelengths of light, prompting astronomers
to classify it as a
Seyfert, a type of active galaxy.
Not as well known as other tight
groupings of galaxies,
the contrast in
visual
appearance makes this triplet an attractive subject for
avid astrophotographers.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Seyfert galaxy - NGC 5892 - NGC 5985 - NGC 5981
Publications with words: Seyfert galaxy - NGC 5892 - NGC 5985 - NGC 5981
See also:
- APOD: 2024 October 9 B M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
- In the Arms of NGC 1097
- NGC 5643: Nearby Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
- APOD: 2020 August 16 B NGC 6814: Grand Design Spiral Galaxy from Hubble
- M106: A Spiral Galaxy with a Strange Center
- In the Center of Spiral Galaxy NGC 5033
- NGC 6814: Grand Design Spiral Galaxy from Hubble