The Cartwheel Galaxy - Peculiar type in Sculptor

[johnh]

SPX350 F4.5, ST10XME, Astrodon filters.  L RGB

This peculiar galaxy is very small and overlooked galaxy in Sculptor owing to the 4 bright moon sized galaxies in the constellation.

This galaxy is 400 mil lyrs away and is 150,000 lyrs in diameter. The two small galaxies above are 60,000 lyrs wide and 20 mil lyrs apart and at a similar distance to the Cartwheel.

The Cartwheel is a massive UV source as is the small galaxy on the right of the two above. A quick image showed the Cartwheel has no Ha at all.

Clearly an interaction has occurred shaping the unusual Cartwheel estimated at 500 million years ago, a HST map of atomic hydrogen seems to point to one galaxy a little way beyond the two small companions above that may be responsible.

The image also contains (purely an accidental discovery) a pair of interacting galaxies like the Corvid Antenna at the top edge of my image near the right called Haro11. The Haro11 interacting pair are 267 mil lyrs away so they must be quite small.

Lum-3hrs

RGB-1hour each.

Thanks, John.

[theo]

Superb work John. You don't see that many images of this Galaxy so great to see.

Pete

[lensman57]

Amazing capture and a brilliant explanation.

Regards,

A.G

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice images and information!

[Grotemobile]

That is very good.Like the info about it.

I can see a lot of work, went into

putting that together.Good post.

Steve

[morimarty]

That's really interesting John, What a great capture very well done!

[Gina]

Quite amazing

[Dannae]

Your images are wonderful and the information is great, thank you for sharing

Regards

Dannae

[Polar Bear]

Very interesting, great capture, thanks for sharing

[Steve 1962]

Magnificent image and great write-up - thanks for sharing!

[johnh]

Thanks for the interest in this little oddity, usually too small to be bothered with but I became fascinated with it and its blue colour.  It is strange how present structure can sometimes show the past interactions.

Regards, John.

[ollypenrice]

Another intriguing and original image, John. Splendid!

Olly

[Uranium235]

Never seen these before, peculiar would be an understatement for PGC2248.... looks more like a cell or a blue fried egg