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NGC7531-Final Color

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NGC7531 with LSB Companion - Chile

NGC7531 with LSB Companion – Chile

NGC7531 lies 60 million ly away. Note the faint “smudge” just below it, looking like a reflection in a dark lake. This is an LSB (Low Surface Brightness)
galaxy named A2311.8-4353. These are sometimes called stellar clouds. An LSB is usually classified as being 1 magnitude or more fainter than the ambient sky. We are able to glimpse it with the clear skies of the Atacama Desert and a very deep (18 hour) exposure. Astronomers have not been able to establish the distance to A2311.8-4353 yet so we don’t know if it is a foreground object or in the vicinity of NGC7531.

Takahashi CCA-250 Astrograph with an ST11000 camera, Astrodon filters, and ASA gearless mount. F/7.5 unguided LRGB (120/6min L, 20/6min each 2×2 RGB).