NGC 864

Click on image for larger version.


 NGC 864 is a barred spiral galaxy in the direction of Cetus. It is estimated to be around 69 million light years away. As a morphological feature, bars in the centers of galaxies indicate a dynamic movement of gas (and stars). While NGC 864 possesses a weak bar- the effects of the stucture can be readily seen in the galaxy. Note the bottom picture of the two at left. The elongated and extremely bright nucleus delineate the bar. When displayed in a non-linear fashion (upper image) the delicate dust lanes that run along the bar can be discerned. Galactic bars generally stir the interiors of galaxies with flows of gas into and out of the region. Due to their asymmetric concentration of mass, bars can also generate waves of star formation in the outer disk by the oscillatory compression of gas. In the case of NGC 864, the two major arms spring from the ends of the bar. These arms indicate a continual emergence of new star-formation that continues "downstream." A few other barred spirals include: NGC 7479, NGC 255, NGC 266, NGC 1300, M58, NGC 5964, NGC 5921, and many others.

Equipment

20in RC Optical Systems telescope Operating at f/8.4
Paramount ME Robotic Telescope Mount
SBIG ST10XME CCD camera with color filter wheel

L R G B color production was used to create this image.

Luminance = 90 minutes binned 1x1
 Red = 20 minutes binned 2x2
 Green = 20 minutes binned 2x2
 Blue = 20 minutes binned 2x2
  • One iteration of L-R deconvolution (sharpening) algorithm using CCDsharp was applied to the luminance image.

  • The 10th magnitude star to the left of the nucleus (very bright) was difficult to deal with when processing this image.
  • Digital Development (DDP) via Maxim/DL was also used in order to display the the very dim and very bright details of the image simultaneously.

    • Minimum credit line: Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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    Updated: 10/12/2003