This object, also known as NGC 3981, is a spiral galaxy located 65 million light years away in the constellation of Crater at a declination of -20 degrees. This magnitude 12 galaxy spans 3 arc-minutes in our apparent view, which corresponds to a diameter of 60,000 light years.
In his
Arp catalog, Dr. Arp classified this object into the category of Double Galaxies with Wind Effects. I only see 1 galaxy, so I don’t understand his categorization of this one.
The structure of this galaxy is a beautiful grand design spiral. It is about 10 degrees from edge-on and is colored as you would expect – orange at the core and blue in the arms. There is an interesting large blue region at the bottom of the disk.
I love the extended star streams. This galaxy was disturbed by something but I don’t see any candidates in the vicinity. Perhaps it has already been absorbed.
Comments