Observation by Alan Thomas: Galaxy Trio in Sextans

Uploaded by

Alan Thomas

Observer

Alan Thomas

Observed

2025 Feb 28 - 21:53

Uploaded

2025 Mar 02 - 17:49

Objects

NGC3165
NGC3166
NGC3169

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Constellation

Sextans

Field centre

RA: 10^h13^m
Dec: +03°25'
Position angle: -23°57'

Field size

0°30' × 0°23'

Equipment

Unistellar eQuinox 112mm reflector

Exposure

30min.

Location

Norbreck Observatory, Warrington, Cheshire, UK.

Target name

Galaxy Trio in Sextans

Title

Galaxy Trio in Sextans

About this image

These seldom observed galaxies lie in Sextans. NGC3169(L) is a mag. 10.2 spiral galaxy, and NGC3166 (centre) is a mag. 10.4 lenticular galaxy. Both were discovered by William Herschel on the same night in December 1783. The much fainter (13.9) spiral galaxy, just visible to the R of NGC3166, is NGC3165. It was discovered by R J Mitchell (an assistant of the Earl of Rosse) in January 1856. 3166 and 3169 are about 50,000ly apart and in the process of merging.

The large bright nuclei of the larger galaxies are well shown in this image, surrounded by diffuse discs. A dark band, possibly the lacuna in the rather irregular shell, can be seen in 3169.

Bortle 7/8, thin cloud obscuration.

Files associated with this observation

eQuinox-20250228-215346 (2).jpg (776.7 kB)

Like this image

Duncan Hale-Sutton, Dominic Ford, Callum Potter, Simon Paul Davis

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