Dwarf Galaxy M32
December 29, 2012
Photographer: Fabrizio Francione
Summary Authors: Stu Witmer; Jim Foster
Discovered by French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749, the galaxy Messier 32 (M32) is located within the constellation Andromeda. It’s a companion of the much larger Andromeda Galaxy (M31).
M32 is approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth. Because it appears from here to be superimposed over the spiral arms of the Andromeda galaxy (top right portion of photo), it’s probably closer to Earth than is M31, as spectroscopic observations also suggest. The center of this elliptical dwarf galaxy contains a supermassive black hole. Photo taken on October 10, 2012.
Photo Details: GSO RC 8 inch F/8 ATIK 4000 with Orion Nautilus Usb filter wheel; Baader Filters 50.8; guided with Starlight Lodestar with Orion OAG.
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