Galaxy
String of Pearls Galaxy
Barred spiral galaxy · C72 · NGC 55
Barred spiral galaxy in Sculptor
Photo: ESO · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
NGC 55, also known as the String of Pearls Galaxy, is a Magellanic type barred spiral galaxy located about 6.5 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. It was discovered on 7 July 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. Along with its neighbor NGC 300, it is one of the closest galaxies to the Local Group, probably lying between the Milky Way and the Sculptor Group. It has an estimated mass of (2.0 ± 0.4) × 1010 M☉.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~4.2 million light-years
Apparent mag.
+8
Apparent size
29.9′ × 3.0′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
C72 · NGC 55
Did you know
- Listed as Caldwell 72 in the Caldwell catalogue, also known as NGC 55.
- Found in the constellation Sculptor.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
