Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Draco (Dra)  ·  Contains:  NGC 6621
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NGC 6621, astroeyes
NGC 6621
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NGC 6621

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NGC 6621, astroeyes
NGC 6621
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NGC 6621

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Description

From Bill Keel's web site:

'The larger galaxy is the very disturbed spiral NGC 6621. We view the pair about 100 million years past closest approach, in which NGC 6622 passed just at the edge of the disk of NGC 6621 in an orbit nearly parallel to the disk plane. In addition to the tidal distortion that has pulled the long tail out and wrapped it behind the main body from our vantage point, the encounter has triggered extensive star formation. It is especially interesting that the very compact collection of star clusters and emission nebulae between the two galaxy nuclei coincides with a region in which the dynamics of the disk are so profoundly disturbed that the slope of the velocity field changes sign, which may implicate gravitational instability within the disk (a result of tidal disturbance) as one cause of formation of such massive star clusters.'

which gives some very useful information on this interacting pair, otherwise known as Arp 81. ngc 6621 is the larger galaxy, type Sc, magnitude 13.6, surface brightness 13.9, size 2.1' x 0.8'. ngc 6622, a Sa spiral is as bright at magn. 13.6 but it has a significantly higher surface brightness of 12.4. It is about 0.8' x 0.5' in size. The tidal arm and loop are clearly seen in my image which was taken through my 10"Newt.

Halton Arp considered the companion, ngc 6622, to resemble the M51 companion.

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NGC 6621, astroeyes