NGC 545: Galaxy Group (Pisces) RA: 01h 25.8m / DEC: -01° 20'.5 Instrument: 10-inch Starfinder |
If you like galaxy clusters, you'll enjoy this quartet. NGCs 541, 543, 545 and 547 occupy a 10 arc minute area in northern Pisces. NGCs 545 and 547 are listed with photographic magnitudes of 13.2. They're fairly small, appearing 30"x15" in size in my 10-inch Newt at 129X. NGC 543 is about 4' to the northwest. It covers a 45" diameter area and features a stellar core region. It's a challenging object for moderate aperture at 13.1 magnitude. NGC 541 lies 5'.3 to the south and shines at magnitude 12.0. It covers a 60" area with noticeable brightening toward the core region. Each member of this foursome has a radial velocity of approximately 5300 km/s, suggesting this is a gravitationally bound galaxy cluster at a distance of some 265 million light-years. |
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