What makes NGC 891 particularly captivating is its orientation, presenting a stunning edge-on view that allows astronomers to study its structure in great detail. The dust lanes within the disk of the galaxy are prominently visible, creating a dark band that bisects the bright stellar background. This feature provides a unique perspective for investigating the distribution of stars, gas, and dust within the galaxy.

NGC 891 is considered a member of the NGC 1023 group, a small galaxy group in the Local Supercluster. Its proximity and orientation make it an excellent target for astrophotography and scientific observation. The study of galaxies like NGC 891 contributes to our understanding of the processes shaping the evolution of spiral galaxies and the vast cosmic structures in which they reside.

Image Description and Details : M96 is a lovely distrurbed spiral about 31 million ly distant. The most interesting feature to me is the needle galaxy 2MFGC 8391 we see through the arm of M96. This needle is the spitting image of NGC 891 but more distant at about 150 ly away. M96 appeared to me initially as a one-arm galaxy but is described as a double barred spiral.

Astrodon Blue: 31x31" (16' 1") (gain: 25.00) -10°C bin 1x1
Astrodon Green: 24x600" (4h) (gain: 25.00) -10°C bin 1x1
Astrodon Luminance: 61x600" (10h 10') (gain: 25.00) -10°C bin 1x1
Astrodon Red: 27x600" (4h 30') (gain: 25.00) -10°C bin 1x1
Integration total 18h 56' 1"

Planewave CDK14, Planewave L-350, QHY600M

Copyright: Kevin Morefield