Deep Sky Object in Spring
Around NGC3020 (Galaxies in Leo)


Date & Time: Jan 25 2025, from 24:00 to 24:54 JST(+0900)
Composed 10 shots with 6 minutes exposed
Optical: Meade 25cm(10") Schmidt-Cassegrain with conversion lens (f=1600mm, F6.3)
with IDAS LPS-P1 Light-pollution suppression filter
Auto-guided with Meade LX200 Equatorial & Lacerta M-GEN
Digital Camera: Nikon D810A
Location: Ooizumi, Hokuto city, Yamanashi pref.

Camera Settings: Recording Format...14bit CCD-RAW, converted to 16bit TIFF(4080×4080)
Device Size...20×20mm
Sensitivity...ISO4000, White Balance...Daylight


This image captures three small galaxies hidden 4.5 degrees west of Regulus, the first-magnitude star in Leo. The largest, visible at the top of the image, is NGC 3020, a barred spiral galaxy with a major axis of about 3 arcminutes. The bulge and spiral structure can be clearly distinguished, and nebula-like star-forming regions can be seen within its arms. The edge-on galaxy on the left side of the image is NGC 3024, while the small galaxy visible in the lower right is NGC 3016. Although these three galaxies appear clustered within a span of 10 arcminutes, they are not part of the same galaxy group; in fact, the distance from the nearest, NGC 3020, to the farthest, NGC 3016, differs by nearly a factor of eight.

NGC3016 / Galaxy, type Sb III
R.A.09h 49m 50.9s (2000.0)
Dec.+12°41' 45" (2000.0)
Apparent Size1.2×0.8'
Radial Velocity+8869km/s
Magnitude13.8
Distance465 million light yrs.
Group of Galaxies -
Other IDsUGC 5266, CGCG 63-77
MCG +2-25-40, PGC 28269
IRAS 9471+1255
NGC3020 / Galaxy, type SB(r)cd:
R.A.09h 50m 06.3s (2000.0)
Dec.+12°48' 50" (2000.0)
Apparent Size3.1×1.5'
Radial Velocity+1450km/s
Magnitude12.6
Distance59 million light yrs.
Group of Galaxies -
Other IDsUGC 5271, CGCG 63-82
MCG +2-25-45, PGC 28296
IRAS 9474+1302
NGC3024 / Galaxy, type Sc: sp
R.A.09h 50m 27.2s (2000.0)
Dec.+12°46' 00" (2000.0)
Apparent Size2.1×0.4'
Radial Velocity+1532km/s
Magnitude13.8
Distance107 million light yrs.
Group of Galaxies -
Other IDsUGC 5275, CGCG 63-84
MCG +2-25-46, PGC 28324
IRAS 9477+1259



NGC2997
NGC3041

Copyright(c) 2025 by Naoyuki Kurita, All rights reserved.
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