NGC 660
About image
NGC 660 is a peculiar polar ring galaxy located in the constellation of Pisces, 45 million light-years away from Earth.; it is part of the small galaxy group of M 74 and was probably formed a billion years ago following a collision between two galaxies.
The ring is not actually polar, but is tilted about 60 degrees with respect to the plane of the central galaxy: it is noted that it is slightly deformed by interaction with another galaxy. Its bluish color suggest that is contains many young stars.
The central galaxy in NGC 660 is not a structureless spindle galaxy as in other polar rings galaxies (for example NGC 2685), but an SB galaxy with detailed structures like dust lanes and a yellowish glow which surround the disk.
[text adapted from “The Cambrigde Photographic Atlas of Galaxies”)
Technical data
Optic GSO RC12 Truss - Aperture 304mm, focal lenght 2432mm, f/8
Mount 10Micron GM2000 HPSII
Camera ZWO ASI 2600 MM Pro with filter wheel 7 positions
Filters Astrodon Gen2 E-Serie Tru-Balance 50mm unmounted LRGB, Ha 5nm
Guiding system ZWO OAG-L with guide camera ASI 174MM
Exposure details L 65x300" bin3 -15C gain 100
R 18x300" bin3 -15C gain 100
G 18x300" bin3 -15C gain 100
B 18x300" bin3 -15C gain 100
Total integration 9h55'
Acquisition Voyager, PHD2
Processing Pixinsight 1.8, Photoshop CS5, BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, StarXTerminator
SQM-L 20.88
Location Promiod (Aosta Valley, Italy), own remote observatory
Date 9/12/14 December 2025
© Roberto Marinoni 2019 - All rights reserved