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Deer Lick Galaxy (NGC 7331)
spiral galaxy in Pegasus
NGC 7331 is a bright spiral galaxy in Pegasus, tilted enough to show a dusty, ragged disk. It is often called the Deer Lick Galaxy, and it is famous for the tiny galaxies clustered near it, known as Deer Lick Group. Stephan's Quintet sits a short distance to the southwest.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 7331
- Also known as
- C 30, Caldwell 30
- Type
- spiral galaxy
- Constellation
- Pegasus
- Size
- 10.5′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.5
- Distance
- about 45 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Aug
- Typical prime months
- Jun to Nov
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image Deer Lick Galaxy
- At about 10 arcminutes, use 1,000 mm or more to show the dust lanes and the nearby small galaxies.
- Stephan's Quintet is about half a degree away, so a frame around 1.5 degrees can hold both groups.
- Pegasus is high on autumn evenings, which suits imaging in comfort.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 7331 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 13% |
| 2,000 mm | about 26% |
| 3,000 mm | about 39% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 7331 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) | 69° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 79° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 89° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 81° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 21° | Stays low |
Also worth imaging
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