This object is a seldom imaged spiral galaxy located 80 million light years away in the constellation of Pyxis at a declination of -23 degrees. This magnitude 11 galaxy is the 189th brightest galaxy in the sky. It is by far the brightest galaxy in the constellation of Pyxis and the only one in that constellation that I have imaged. It spans 6 arc-minutes in our apparent view and has a large diameter of 140,000 light years.
Our view of this galaxy is about 10 degrees from edge-on. The
flocculent yellow disk is beautifully symmetric with mottled arms that are distinct but hard to trace. The lack of a central bulge is a bit unusual - I think it results in better clarity in the core region.
The outside arms on the right side seem to be flaring out a bit. They may be interacting with the small galaxy to the upper right, ESO 495-17. The data shows this galaxy to be 10 million light years closer to us, which is too far for interaction. But perhaps these galaxies were closer in the past, or the single data point for this distance may be inaccurate.
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