Galaxy NGC 55

A nice edge-on barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Sculptor, somewhat smaller than our own Milky Way.

NGC 55 is generally regarded as a member of the Sculptor Group of galaxies, located near the South Galactic Pole (but some have listed it as a member of the Local Group).

Its apparent full length (perhaps not all caught in my image) is approximately 1 LD (Lunar Diameter).

Image obtained during a Macarthur Astronomical Society field night.

Object Details:

NGC 55, Caldwell 72, PGC 1014.
Visual magnitude: +7.8.
Apparent diameter: 30.2 x 3.1 arc-min.
Actual diameter: 60,000 light years.
Distance: 6.9 million light years.

Image:

Exposure: 19 x 4 min, ISO 800.
Date: 2017-09-24.
Location: The Oaks, NSW.
Sky: semi-dark rural sky, clear.
Processing: Canon DPP, Deep Sky Stacker and GIMP.
Cropping: yes.

Gear:
Imaging telescope: Skywatcher Esprit 120ED Super APO triplet refractor.
Focal length: 840 mm, focal ratio: f/7.
Imaging camera: Canon EOS 60D.
Guiding telescope: Orion ShortTube 80mm Achromatic doublet refractor.
Focal length: 400 mm, focal ratio: f/5.
Guiding camera: Orion StarShoot camera.
Guiding control software: PHD2.
Telescope mount: SkyWatcher EQ6-R.
Polar aligning: QHYCCD PoleMaster.
Flattener: yes; filter: no.
My gear.

Image © R.Powell