NGC 300
OTA: TAO 150 (f/7.3)
Camera: FLI - ML16200 (1.13 arcseconds/pixel)
Observatory: Deep Sky West, Chile
EXPOSURES:
Red: 15 x 600 sec.
Blue: 10 x 600
Green: 10 x 600
Lum: 16 x 600
H: 10 x 1800
Total exposure 13.5 hours
Image Width: ~1.3 deg
Processed by Alex Woronow (2019) using PixInsight, Skylum, Topaz
This southern-declination galaxy, NGC 300, lies about 6M light-years from us in the Sculptor Galaxy Group. That group is the closest groups to our “Local Group,” centered about 12M light-years away. Most of the galaxies in the group are either not, or only weakly, gravitationally bound together. It has been conjectured that the group is just forming as the galaxies fall together.
NGC 300 X-1 is an interesting X-ray source in this galaxy. It lies at the tip of the yellow and red arrow in the image below and actually consists of two sources. Both sources are double stars (stars in orbit about one-another). One system contains a massive, old, very hot star classified as a Wolf-Rayet star that emits strong winds into its partner’s domain. That partner is a black hole (the remains of a once massive star). The wind material is heated to millions of degrees as it falls into the black hole and the hot gas then radiates the X-rays.
The second X-ray sources is thought to be a similar system with a massive star and a compact object. Recent data suggests that the compact object is a highly magnetized, rapidly spinning neutron star or pulsar. In either case, again, the latter feeds on the material from the former, causes the X-ray emissions. (see
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2019/02/Past_and_future_generations_of_stars_in_NGC_300)
Also shown in the annotated image below a rich abundance of background galaxies, whose designations start with “PGC.” Many of these can be identified on the main image as fuzzy or non-circular objects clearly distinguishable from the round, sharper, stars.
Comments