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Barnard's Galaxy (NGC 6822)
irregular galaxy in Sagittarius
Barnard's Galaxy is a dwarf irregular galaxy in Sagittarius, one of the nearest galaxies to us outside the Magellanic Clouds. It is large in the sky but very faint, with an irregular scatter of stars and a few pink glowing regions. Many amateurs find it harder than the numbers suggest.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 6822
- Also known as
- C 57, Caldwell 57
- Type
- irregular galaxy
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Size
- 15′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.3
- Distance
- about 1.6 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Jul
- Typical prime months
- May to Sep
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image Barnard's Galaxy
- It is about 15 arcminutes across; 800 to 1,500 mm suits it.
- Surface brightness is low, so a dark sky and many hours of exposure matter.
- It sits in a rich Milky Way star field, so careful star handling in processing helps the galaxy show.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 6822 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 19% |
| 2,000 mm | about 37% |
| 3,000 mm | about 56% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 6822 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 20° | Stays low |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 30° | Workable |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 40° | Workable |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 50° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 70° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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