Arp 227 / NGC 470 / NGC 474

Designation(s)Arp 227, NGC 470, NGC 474
Object Type(s)Galaxy
Relevant Catalog(s)All (Chron), Arp, NGC
Arp CategoryGalaxies with concentric rings
Obs. Lat/Long42° 17', 073° 57'
ConstellationPisces
Date and Time Observed2025-10-10 22:52:00
InstrumentEdgeHD 8" w/f7 reducer-1,422mm FL
CameraPlayer One Apollo-M Mini
Image DetailsUp is 268.5 degrees E of N. Transparency: Fair. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 32m30s. Exposures 15s@300g, No Filter. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. Lightly enhanced in affinity photo with Noise-X-Terminator and sharpening.
DescriptionThis was a target for the October '25 CN EAA Challenge. NGC 474's faint but massive rings are quite a sight! Arp's recorded in his notes: " Pos. of spiral.SO is E and a little N.Very faint rings extend to diameter of 7'.4."

If you look at my inverted capture (right) compared to Arp's left, it's another example where my 8" Celestron can achieve "deeper" imaging than the 200" Hale telescope in the 1960s! My image benefits from a CMOS sensor and sophisticated processing, whereas Arp was stuck with a film image. Still, the 200" gathers 625x as much light. It just shows the HUGE impact of digital imaging on our hobby!
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