✨ NGC 660 - The Polar Ring Galaxy ✨
    Wallpaper author:
    Alessandro Motta

    30 Sept 2025

    ✨ NGC 660 - The Polar Ring Galaxy ✨

    follow - share - credit

    www.instagram.com/ale_motta_astrofotografia


    Here is NGC 660, a spectacular polar ring galaxy located about 45 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces. This unusual galaxy features a main disk intersected by an outer ring of stars and gas, likely the result of an ancient galactic merger.


    🔭 Target: NGC 660

    📍 Location: Pisces constellation

    🌌 Type: Peculiar galaxy (Polar Ring)

    🌟 Distance: ~45 million light-years

    ✨ Apparent Magnitude: 11.2

    📏 Apparent Size: 8.3 x 3.2 arcminutes


    Key Features:

    Its polar ring, composed of gas and stars, orbits around the main galactic disk, making it an ideal laboratory to study gravitational interactions and star formation. The intense activity at the center of NGC 660 suggests the presence of an active galactic nucleus, fueled by a supermassive black hole.


    🎨 Processing Details:

    This image highlights the intricate details of the polar ring and the vibrant colors of the star-forming regions, emphasizing the contrast with the inner disk.


    Date: 03/12/2024

    Lights: 12x300" Luminance. 38x300" RGB

    Instrument: Telescope Planewave CDK24, Camera QHY 600M, Filters Astrodon Luminance, Red, Green, Blue

    Processed: PixInsight


    #ngc660 #polarringgalaxy #deepskyphotography #astrophotography #galaxyinteraction

    Dataset from which the image was processed

    NGC 660

    8 credit

    Open

    ✨ NGC 660 - The Polar Ring Galaxy ✨