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
NGC 247 (aka Caldwell 62) is a dwarf spiral galaxy in Cetus, and it is a member of the Sculptor Group, the nearest group of galaxies to our Local Group which includes the Milky Way. NGC 247 has a slightly irregular shape on one end where the spiral arm has a hollowed out appearance on long-exposure photographs, resembling the shape of a neddle's eye. It is about the same size as NGC 253, but two magnitudes fainter. Recent measurements placed this galaxy about 11 million light-years away, about 1 million light-years closer than the estimated distance of NGC 253. In the above wide field image is also revealed the rich background of this area which features a multitude of other galaxies, located a lot farther from our planet than NGC 247. Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (300m) L (390m) R (270m) G (220m) B (240m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
Why is this galaxy so discombobulated? Usually, galaxies this topsy-turvy result from a recent collision with a neighboring galaxy. Spiral galaxy NGC 1313, however, appears to be alone. Brightly lit with new and blue massive stars, star formation appears so rampant in NGC 1313 that it has been labeled a starburst galaxy. Strange features of NGC 1313 include that its spiral arms are lopsided and its rotational axis is not at the center of the nuclear bar. Pictured above, NGC 1313 spans about 50,000 light years and lies only about 15 million light years away toward the constellation of the Reticle (Reticulum). Continued numerical modeling of galaxies like NGC 1313 might shed some light on its unusual nature (text adapted from APOD). Apo TEC140 (140/f7.2) - FLI Proline 16803 - Ha (550m) L (490m) R (130m) G (130m) B (130m) - Warrumbungle Observatory, Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia
