This object, also known as NGC 7625, is a late stage merged galaxy located 75 million light years away in the constellation of Pegasus at a declination of +17 degrees. This magnitude 12 galaxy spans 0.6 arc-minutes in our apparent view, which corresponds to a small diameter of 30,000 light years.
In his
Arp catalog, Dr. Arp classified this object into the odd category of Galaxies with Irregularities, Absorption and Resolution.
This is a fascinating object. I love the chaotic dust lanes which wrap around the core region and particular the interplay of colors between older (yellow), newer (blue) and HII (pink) regions in the core. No outer disk is seen, which is why the galaxy diameter (30,000 ly) is so small.
This object looks similar to other late stage galaxy mergers in my
Astrobin Merger Stage 4 (Common Core) Collection, particularly NGC 3256 and MCG+08-11-002.
Some sources conclude that this is a polar ring galaxy, based on the detection of 2 different rotational disks – one in plane and one approaching the polar plane.
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