At a distance of approximately 62 million of light years, the Fornax Cluster is the second richest cluster of galaxies within 100 million light-years, although it is much smaller than the Virgo Cluster. It lies primarily in the constellation Fornax, and may be associated with the nearby Eridanus Group. Although small as clusters of galaxies go, the Fornax Cluster is a valuable source of information about the evolution of such clusters, showing the effects of a merger of a subgroup with the main group, which in turn lends clues about the associated galactic superstructure. At the centre of the cluster lies NGC 1399. Other noteworthy cluster members include NGC 1350, 1427A and NGC 1404. NGC 1365 (bottom right in the image) is the most famous galaxy in the Fornax cluster. It is a barred spiral galaxy with a beautiful shape. (text adapted from Wikipedia). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - L (720m) R (340m) G (250m) B (270m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Nearby galaxy NGC 6822 is irregular in several ways. First, the galaxy's star distribution merits a formal classification of dwarf irregular, and from our vantage-point the small galaxy appears nearly rectangular. What strikes astronomers as more peculiar, however, is NGC 6822's unusually high abundance of HII regions, locales of ionized hydrogen that surround young stars. Large HII regions, also known as emission nebulas, are visible surrounding the small galaxy, particularly toward the upper right. Toward the lower left are bright stars that are loosely grouped into an arm. Pictured above, NGC 6822, also known as Barnard's Galaxy, is located only about 1.5 million light years away and so is a member of our Local Group of Galaxies. The galaxy, home to famous nebulas including Hubble V, is visible with a small telescope toward the constellation of Sagittarius (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (410m) L (620m) R (160m) G (120m) B (170m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
