NGC 157 – Cet
Cetus is a huge constellation crossing the skies in Autumn/early Winter for northern observers. Its stars are not among the brightest ones, so its shape is only known to experienced observers. It hosts a...
Category: galaxy
Four Supernovae in Four Messier Galaxies: SN 2014J (M82), SN 2014L (M99), SN 2014bc (M106) and 2014dt (M61)
The recent supernova in Messier 61 is the latest member of a very special and very small group, the one including all the supernova events happened in 2014 in a Messier galaxy. So far,...
Maffei 1 and Maffei 2: an interesting couple of galaxies
If there is a couple of relatively close galaxies that you have never seen, likely they are Maffei 1 and Maffei 2. While they are closer than 10 millions of light years (well, that...
Possible Supernova PSN J02262331+2739348: an image (02 Nov. 2014)
This image of the possible Supernova PSN J02262331+2739348 in the UGC 1899 galaxy comes from the average of five, 120-seconds exposures, remotely collected with the PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E robotic unit part of the Virtual Telescope Project. The supernova was...
Bright supernova MASTER OT J120451.50+265946.6 in NGC 4080: an image (31 Oct. 2014)
This is a good season for reasonably bright supernovae. Just before SN 2014dt in Messier 61 was discovered, another bright supernova has been found in NGC 4080, named MASTER OT J120451.50+265946.6 after the survey which...
Supernova SN 2014dt (= PSN J12215757+0428185) in Messier 61
Updates: this transient has been spectroscopically confirmed as a peculiar type Ia supernova and it is now officially named SN 2014dt, after the CBAT issued the CBET 4011 (login required) Circular, including our observations! Six...
Abell 426, The Perseus Galaxy Cluster
At Virtual Telescope, sometimes we like to image and share with our public something unusual, not merely pretty pictures. Recently we have found a great subject in Perseus, a typical constellation in the Autumn...
NGC 520 (Arp 157) – Psc
Initially catalogued as NGC 520, this weird object is now known as a pair of colliding galaxies, also named Arp 157. The merging galaxies show a long tail of stars and an evident band of...
NGC 7814 – Peg
Some of the funniest aspects as astronomy is that sometimes the most spectacular objects out there have a special nickname. To say it better, sometimes a nickname contributes to the fame of a given...
PGC 13880 and PSN J03481978+7007545: an image
There are so many wonders out there, in the Universe, that is simply impossible for us to see all of them. To the point that sometimes we unexpectedly discover something very beautiful just by...
NGC 7217 – Peg
Placed at about 50 millions of light years, NGC 7217 is a elegant galaxy in Pegasus, showing very delicate and round spiral arms. This object shows a few unusual features: one of the most striking...
IC 4895 (NGC 6822): an irregular galaxy in Sagittarius
For many “young” stargazers, the splendid constellation of Sagittarius host a plethora of open and globular clusters, as well as splendid gaseous clouds, because of the rich Milky Way making that part of the...
NGC 4559 and a possible Luminous Blue Variable – Com
Coma Berenices is well known for being a rich ground for those interested in galaxies. There are so many that, incredibly, some of the finest ones are poorly known, because of the strong competition...
Arp 271 (NGC 5426 and NGC 5427 interacting galaxies): a quick view
In the vastness of space and time, there are still chances for galaxies to meet. To the point that they can look as embracing, elegant butterflies of stars, obeying to the universal force of...
