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Credit & Copyright: Ken Crawford
(Rancho Del Sol Observatory)
Explanation:
Galaxies of the NGC 7771 Group are featured in
this intriguing skyscape.
Some 200 million light-years distant toward the constellation
Pegasus,
NGC 7771 is the large, edge-on
spiral near center,
about 75,000 light-years across, with two smaller galaxies just
below it.
Large spiral NGC 7769 is seen face-on to the right.
Galaxies of the NGC 7771 group are interacting, making
repeated close passages that will ultimately result in
galaxy-galaxy mergers on a cosmic timescale.
The interactions can be traced by galaxy
distortions and faint
streams of stars
created by gravitational tides.
But a clear view of the galaxy group is difficult to come by,
as the deep image also reveals extensive clouds of
foreground dust sweeping across the field.
The dim, dusty nebulae reflect starlight from our own Milky Way Galaxy
and lie only a few hundred light-years above the
galactic plane.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: dust - group of galaxies
Publications with words: dust - group of galaxies
See also:
- APOD: 2026 September 16 Á Webb's View of M64
- APOD: 2026 July 22 Á The Corona Australis Cloud and the Chandelier Cluster
- APOD: 2026 July 9 Á The Red Glow of the Cosmic Bat Nebula
- APOD: 2026 March 27 Á Hickson 44 in Leo
- LDN 1622: Dark Nebula in Orion
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus