Arp 329 - Hickson 55 (Gary Imm)

Arp 329 - Hickson 55

This object is a unique chain of 5 tiny distant galaxies located in the constellation of Draco at a declination of +71 degrees. This object was classified by Arp in the category of "Chains of Galaxies".

From left to right, these galaxies are UGC 6514d, e, c, a, and b. The leftmost and center galaxies are ellipticals, the others are spiral galaxies. 4 of these 5 galaxies are in close proximity, 800 million light years away, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 light years in diameter. The largest is about 30 arc-seconds in apparent width, a bit larger than Venus from our perspective view.

The general consensus is that the galaxy UGC 6514e (second from left) is further away, with some estimates putting it at 1.4 billion light years away. This galaxy has a bluer cast than the other 4, which appear orangish. The galaxies are so far away that it is hard to discern whether they are disturbed. From our perspective these galaxies appear to be in close proximity, but in reality even the 4 "close" galaxies could be fairly widely separated in depth.

I find it fascinating that 5 galaxies would align in an apparent linear chain. I am not sure what is more amazing - that 4 galaxies in close proximity would appear to us in a straight line, or that the distant 5th galaxy would line up perfectly with the other four.

The bluish face-on spiral galaxy at the bottom of the image is LEDA 35662.

Final
Original
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Description: Comparison to Original Arp Image

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Status	Advanced success
Started	...
Astrometry.net job	3333455
PixInsight job	I1B2539VRHRELSHYJTQA1W7CX2OT4N0F
PixInsight queue size	n/a
PixInsight stage	n/a

RA (center)	11h32m06s.792
RA (top/left)	11h30m59s.240
RA (top/right)	11h30m42s.505
RA (bottom/right)	11h33m13s.733
RA (bottom/left)	11h33m31s.972

Dec (center)	+70°48′43″.94
Dec (top/left)	+70°56′08″.39
Dec (top/right)	+70°42′36″.61
Dec (bottom/right)	+70°41′17″.65
Dec (bottom/left)	+70°54′48″.70

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