NGC 1275 - Hubble Legacy Archive

One of the most interesting galaxies in the sky is NGC 1275.  It lies near the heart of a supercluster of galaxies in the constellation Perseus, and is roughly 230 million light years away.  Obviously, something is happening here.  I have read that one mass in front is moving toward a large galaxy behind but has not reached it yet.  The chaotic spewing (in red) of glowing hydogen and nitrogen comes from the large galaxy behind, but the spewing's origin and energy is something of a mystery.

At that great distance, it's difficult to get much detail with an amateur scope.  I've tried and will try again to catch the filaments or the dark parts of the galaxy image.  But this Hubble data is freely available from the Hubble Legacy Archive (linked at right).  It's relatively easy, and kind of fun, to download and process.  Here is my version for now.

NGC 1275 (11-5&6-10)

This not-so-deep image of this fascinating object (the brightest galaxy, in the lower part and just left of center) leaves much for the imagination. Here is a brighter rendition, through a much larger scope with much longer exposure; in fact, the best rendition I know of by an amateur. The galaxy is thought to harbor an active black hole and is combining with a smaller galaxy, giving NGC 1275 its unusual shape and other characteristics.

The galaxy cluster is called Abell 426, also called the Perseus Cluster. This is just the heart of it. What you are seeing is approximately 237 (give or take about 30) million light years away.

This image is just 2.25 hours of 5' exposures with the AT8RC and the SXVF-H9C.