This object is a
Seyfert spiral galaxy located 60 million light years away in the constellation of Canes Venatici at a declination of +36 degrees. This galaxy is huge, almost twice the size of our Milky Way. The disk is inclined at 68 degrees, making it more edge-on than face-on to our view. It is the 116th brightest galaxy in the sky.
This is an interesting galaxy. I like the coloration of the disk, which varies from white in the core, to a yellow section surrounding the core, to an extensive outer area of blue star clusters lining the arms, to a few pink HII regions in the outer arms. Adding to the color, a brownish dark dust lane appears only below the core, which I assume must be the near side of this galaxy.
The galaxy has some interesting characteristics possibly, due to gravitational interactions with other galaxies:
-
VV rows are seen in the arms
- the inner disk has a bit of a
hexagon shape to it
- the outer disk appears to be warped a bit out of plane
- at left, the outer spiral arm extends far away from the galaxy.
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