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Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa., astroeyes

Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa.

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa., astroeyes

Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa.

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Description

Arp 234 or ngc 3738 was placed by Halton Arp in the 'Appearance of fission' group. He noted considerable resolution into stars and absorption tubes. The challenge is the line of knots S of nucleus.

Lying in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear), NGC 3738 is located about 12 million light-years from the sun, and belongs to the Messier 81 group of galaxies. This galaxy — first observed by astronomer William Herschel back in 1789 — is a nearby example of a blue compact dwarf, the faintest type of starburst galaxy. Blue compact dwarfs are small compared to large spiral galaxies — NGC 3738 is around 10,000 light-years across, just one tenth of the size of the Milky Way.

This type of galaxy is blue in appearance by virtue of containing large clusters of hot, massive stars, which ionize the surrounding interstellar gas with their intense ultraviolet radiation. They are relatively faint and appear to be irregular in shape. Unlike spirals or elliptical galaxies, irregular galaxies do not have any distinctive features, such as a nuclear bulge or spiral arms. Rather, they are extremely chaotic in appearance. These galaxies are thought to resemble some of the earliest that formed in the Universe and may provide clues as to how stars appeared shortly after the Big Bang.

More details from www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/ngc3738.html

My image, recorded on a very poor, misty night, is the result of 30 x 3 minute exposures through my 10" f4.8 Newt.

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Revisions

  • Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa., astroeyes
    Original
  • Final
    Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa., astroeyes
    B

Histogram

Arp 234 - ngc 3738 - Irregular Galaxy in UMa., astroeyes