This object, also known as Caldwell 26, is an edge-on spiral galaxy located only 14 million light years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici at a declination of +38 degrees. It is a magnitude 10.2 galaxy which spans 17 arc-minutes in our apparent view. This corresponds to a diameter of 70,000 light years.
Galaxies this close are fun to examine for their bright blue star clusters, whose color in this image ranges in hue from purple to cyan. Two parallel dust lanes are seen streaming across the tiny bright core. The core looks like a small star but studies have determined that it is a rotating
nuclear star cluster (NSC). Like many edge-on disks, both ends of this disk appear slightly warped.
This object’s nickname is the Silver Needle Galaxy. Note that it is not the Needle Galaxy (
NGC 4565). The core of this galaxy is more white than the yellow core of NGC 4565, so perhaps that odd distinction makes sense.
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