NGC 5371 & the Hickson 68 Galaxy Group
Key Scientific Data
Object type: Spiral galaxy and compact galaxy group
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Main galaxy: NGC 5371 – barred spiral galaxy, SAB(rs)bc
Other designations: NGC 5371, NGC 5390, UGC 8846, PGC 49514
NGC 5371 distance: approximately 100 million light-years
NGC 5371 diameter: approximately 130,000 light-years
NGC 5371 apparent magnitude: approximately 10.6
NGC 5371 apparent size: approximately 4.4 × 3.5 arcminutes
Notable galaxy group: Hickson Compact Group 68 (HCG 68)
Principal HCG 68 members: NGC 5350, NGC 5353, NGC 5354, NGC 5355, NGC 5358
HCG 68 distance: approximately 100 million light-years
Right Ascension (NGC 5371): 13h 55m 40s
Declination (NGC 5371): +40° 28′
Discovered by: William Herschel, 1788 (NGC 5371)
Light-travel time: approximately 100 million years for the principal galaxies
Description
This deep-field image captures a remarkable concentration of galaxies in the constellation Canes Venatici, approximately 100 million light-years from Earth.
The prominent spiral galaxy NGC 5371 dominates the lower-left region, while Hickson Compact Group 68 forms a striking collection of five galaxies near the upper part of the image.
Numerous smaller galaxies populate the background, creating a natural survey of different galactic structures and distances.
NGC 5371 – A Grand Spiral
NGC 5371 is a large barred spiral galaxy, approximately 130,000 light-years across, comparable in size to the Milky Way.
Its extended spiral arms contain interstellar dust, gas and regions of active star formation. The relatively bright central region is surrounded by a broad, slightly asymmetric stellar disc.
Its structure provides an excellent example of how spiral arms, central bars and star-forming regions contribute to the evolution of large galaxies.
Hickson Compact Group 68
HCG 68 consists of five principal galaxies concentrated within a relatively small region of space.
NGC 5350 is a prominent spiral galaxy, while NGC 5353 and NGC 5354 form a close pair dominated by older stellar populations. The smaller NGC 5355 and NGC 5358 complete the group.
Unlike galaxies that merely appear close together from Earth's perspective, compact-group members can be gravitationally associated.
Their proximity makes HCG 68 an important laboratory for studying galactic interactions, tidal forces and the evolution of galaxy groups.
Galaxies Shaped by Gravity
Over millions and billions of years, gravitational encounters can distort spiral arms, redistribute interstellar gas and trigger new episodes of star formation.
Some encounters eventually produce galactic mergers, transforming the original galaxies into larger systems with different structures.
The contrasting appearances of NGC 5371 and HCG 68 illustrate how a galaxy's evolution depends not only on its internal properties but also on its surrounding environment.
A Window into the Distant Universe
Beyond the principal galaxies, the image reveals numerous faint background systems, including spirals, elliptical galaxies and nearly edge-on stellar discs.
The sharp points of light scattered throughout the photograph are predominantly foreground stars belonging to our own Milky Way.
Some background galaxies lie considerably farther away than NGC 5371 and HCG 68, allowing this single image to capture objects at different stages of cosmic history.
Curiosities
Hickson Compact Groups take their name from astronomer Paul Hickson, who published his catalogue of 100 compact galaxy groups in 1982.
These groups are particularly valuable because their high galaxy densities favour gravitational encounters and eventual mergers.
Despite their enormous distances, the brightest members of HCG 68 can be distinguished individually in detailed amateur astrophotographs, revealing a remarkable diversity of galactic shapes.
Looking Back in Time
The light captured from NGC 5371 and HCG 68 began its journey approximately 100 million years ago, during Earth's Cretaceous Period.
At that time, dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems, flowering plants were spreading across the continents, and the Atlantic Ocean was still widening as the continents gradually approached their present positions.
Humans did not yet exist. Even the earliest hominins would not appear for another 90 million years or more, while Homo sapiens would emerge only around 300,000 years ago.
The photons recorded in this photograph were already travelling through intergalactic space long before the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, approximately 66 million years ago.
More distant background galaxies reveal an even earlier Universe, making this image a view across multiple distances and epochs of cosmic history.
Image Data
Total integration time: 21h 55m
Integration by filter:
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L-Pro: 2h (24 × 300")
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Red: 4h 2m 20s
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Green: 7h 28m 20s
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Blue: 8h 24m 20s
Equipment:
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Telescope: Artesky ARTEC 250 Pro
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Camera: ToupTek ATR2600M
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Mount: 10Micron GM2000 HPS II
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Filters: Optolong L-Pro 2", Optolong RGB 2"
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Accessories: Pegasus Astro Prodigy Microfocuser, ToupTek AFW-L 7×2", WandererAstro WandererBox Pro V3
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Software: Adobe Photoshop, Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)
For further details and the full-resolution image, visit AstroBin: