Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 November 4
NGC 147 & NGC185
Image Credit and Copyright: Dan Bartlett
Explanation: In this sharp telescopic portrait, NGC 147 (left), and NGC185 (right) are shown side-by-side. These satellites are 2.5 million light-years from M31, the Andromeda galaxy's great spiral. The distance between them on the sky is less than one degree. However, Andromeda itself can be seen well beyond this area. The larger and more well-known satellite galaxies of Andromeda M32 and M110 are closer to the great spiral. NGC 147, NGC 185 were identified as binary galaxies. They form a gravitationally stable binary structure. Cassiopeia II, a faint dwarf galaxy recently discovered, is also part of the system. It forms a gravitationally bound cluster within Andromeda’s fascinating population of small satellite galaxies.
