| Description | Arp 336, also know as NGC 2685 and as the Helix Galaxy, is a lenticular polar ring Seyfert Type 2 galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. Polar-ring galaxies are very rare: it refers to a ring surrounding the galaxy orthogonal to the disc.. They are thought to form when two galaxies gravitationally interact with each other. "The bizarre configuration could be caused by the chance capture of material from one galaxy by a second disk galaxy, with the captured debris strung out in a rotating ring. A Seyfert galaxy is a type of active galaxy characterized by a bright, compact nucleus exhibiting a very hot, energetic region at the center, thought to be powered by a supermassive black hole. <--> There are two observations here: one early in my EAA career (Dec 2022) and the second in March of 2025 (featured). I was about 110 Arp observations into my experience curve in March of '25, and it shows. You see both in the gallery.. March of '25 I was using my 8" EdgeHD with a monochrome camera...this is a rig I'd adopted specifically to capture dim galaxies. December of '22, I'd had less than 30 days of successful captures. Arp was not even a twinkle in my eye. This is a relatively small target which tested the limit of my reduced C9.25 SCT, particularly because I had no idea what I was doing at the time. |
