NGC 5371 Wide Field – A Sea of Galaxies
Key Scientific Data
Object type: Wide-field extragalactic region containing spiral, elliptical and lenticular galaxies
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Main galaxy: NGC 5371 – barred spiral galaxy, SAB(rs)bc
Other designations (NGC 5371): NGC 5390, UGC 8846, PGC 49514
Distance from Earth (NGC 5371): approximately 100 million light-years
Diameter (NGC 5371): approximately 130,000 light-years
Apparent magnitude (NGC 5371): approximately 10.6
Notable galaxy group: Hickson Compact Group 68 (HCG 68)
Principal HCG 68 members: NGC 5350, NGC 5353, NGC 5354, NGC 5355, NGC 5358
Other notable galaxies: NGC 5320, NGC 5363, NGC 5364, NGC 5383, NGC 5403, NGC 5406
Field of view: approximately 5.18° × 3.46°
Field characteristic: hundreds of identifiable galaxies at different distances
Light-travel time: approximately 100 million years for the principal systems, considerably longer for some background galaxies
Description
This wide-field image captures an exceptionally rich region of Canes Venatici, revealing hundreds of galaxies scattered across more than five degrees of sky.
Near the centre lies NGC 5371, a large spiral galaxy approximately 100 million light-years away, accompanied by Hickson Compact Group 68, a concentration of five gravitationally associated galaxies.
The wide field reveals numerous additional spiral, elliptical and edge-on galaxies, many appearing as tiny patches of light among the foreground stars of the Milky Way.
NGC 5371 – The Main Spiral
NGC 5371 is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 130,000 light-years across, comparable in size to the Milky Way.
Its extended spiral arms contain interstellar gas, dust and regions of star formation surrounding a bright central region.
Although prominent in detailed images, the galaxy occupies only a small fraction of this wide-field composition, illustrating the enormous scale of the surrounding extragalactic environment.
Hickson Compact Group 68
HCG 68 consists of five principal galaxies: NGC 5350, NGC 5353, NGC 5354, NGC 5355 and NGC 5358.
Their close spatial arrangement makes the group particularly interesting for studying gravitational interactions and galactic evolution.
Over billions of years, mutual gravitational forces can distort galactic structures, redistribute gas and stars, and eventually lead to mergers.
The group was included in Paul Hickson's 1982 catalogue of 100 compact galaxy groups.
A Sea of Galaxies
The most remarkable feature of this photograph is the extraordinary number of galaxies visible throughout the field.
Plate-solving and astronomical catalogue annotations reveal hundreds of identifiable systems, including numerous objects from the New General Catalogue (NGC) and Principal Galaxies Catalogue (PGC).
Some display recognizable spiral structures, while more distant galaxies appear as faint elongated streaks or tiny diffuse patches.
The sharp points of light belong predominantly to foreground stars within our Milky Way, much closer than the galaxies behind them.
This contrast illustrates how a single nearby star can appear brighter than an entire distant galaxy containing billions of stars.
A Natural Galaxy Survey
Covering approximately 5.18° × 3.46°, the image provides a broad sample of galactic morphologies and environments.
Spiral galaxies reveal structured stellar discs, edge-on systems appear as narrow bands of light, and elliptical galaxies display smoother profiles.
Many of the faintest background objects are too small to reveal their internal structures at this image scale.
Together, these systems provide a view of the diversity and distribution of galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
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 continuing to widen.
Humans had not yet appeared. The earliest hominins would emerge more than 90 million years later, while Homo sapiens would evolve only around 300,000 years ago.
The light from these galaxies was already travelling towards Earth long before the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs, approximately 66 million years ago.
More distant background galaxies reveal even earlier periods of cosmic history, while foreground stars represent much more recent light.
The photograph therefore captures different epochs of the Universe within a single field of view.
Image Data
Total integration time: 26h
Integration by filter:
- LP: 26h (312 × 300")
Equipment:
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Telescope: William Optics RedCat / Cat 51 III WIFD
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Camera: ToupTek ATR2600M
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Mount: 10Micron GM2000 HPS II
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Filter: Optolong L-QEF 2"
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Accessories: ToupTek AAF Electric Focuser, WandererAstro WandererBox Pro V3, ZWO EFW 7×2"
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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: