Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  NGC 3550  ·  NGC 3552  ·  NGC 3553  ·  NGC 3554  ·  NGC 3561  ·  the Guitar
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Abell 1185 and The Guitar, José Manuel López Arlandis
Abell 1185 and The Guitar
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Abell 1185 and The Guitar

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Abell 1185 and The Guitar, José Manuel López Arlandis
Abell 1185 and The Guitar
Powered byPixInsight

Abell 1185 and The Guitar

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Description

Abell 1185 is a galaxy cluster visible in the constellation UMa. It belongs to the Leo supercluster. It is about 450 million light-years away, and extends over a million light-years. It is considered a poor cluster. It contains at least 85 galaxies, among which ellipticals predominate. The brightest is NGC 3550, of magnitude 14. This galaxy seems to contain three nuclei, moving at different speeds. Therefore, it may be about recent galactic mergers. The protagonist of the image is Arp 105, known as “The Guitar”. These are two galaxies, a spiral (3550 A) and an elliptical (3550 B). Their fusion formed tidal tails that emerge from the spiral, and form the neck and headstock of the guitar. The blue color denotes active star formation, and a blue dot is visible at the end of the guitar's body, due to the formation of a tidal dwarf galaxy. It is known as the “Ambartsumian Knot”. However, The Guitar is 395 million light years away, therefore located in front of the cluster with respect to us. The shots were taken over two months, between April 23 and June 25, before and after a rainy month of May. Seeing was generally poor, resulting in regular definition and sharp gradients.

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Abell 1185 and The Guitar, José Manuel López Arlandis