NGC 55

NGC 55, also known as The Whale Galaxy (or Caldwell 72), is a barred irregular spiral galaxy located about five million light years away in the constellation Sculptor.

NGC 55 is nearly edge-on and appears asymmetrical, like a cigar. Its bulge is diffuse, broad, and somewhat elongated. The bright core is crossed with clouds of gas and dust, and it has a lot of pinkish active star forming regions, and young blue star clusters.

Image acquired with CHI-1 (Planewave CDK24). Data from 3 one-click observations.

Total integration time: 240 minutes

LRGB: 6 subs of 600s with each filter.