NGC 4725 and Arp 159
| Object Type(s) | Galaxy |
| Relevant Catalog(s) | All (Chron), NGC |
| Obs. Lat/Long | 42° 17', 073° 57' |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Date and Time Observed | 2026-07-12 22:29:00 |
| Instrument | Askar V 80mm w extender f7.5-600mm FL |
| Camera | Player One Apollo-M Mini |
| Image Details | Up is 351.5 degrees E of N. Transparency: Good. Seeing: Good. Total integration time was 41m. Exposures 20s@225g, No Filter. Dithered and recentered in SharpCap. No guiding. |
| Description | Followup to capture NGC 4725 with Arp 159. Turns out this is the 3rd time I've observed NGC 4725: initial by itself, then in a duet with NGC 4715, and here with Arp 159 (aka NGC 4747). I wasn't aware of the connection with Arp 159 until this weekend. The closeup of Arp 159 shows distinct tidal tails resulting from gravitational interaction with NGC 4725. When galaxies pass near each other, the gravitational pull on the near side of each galaxy is significantly stronger than on the far side, much like the Moon's gravity affects tides on the Earth's oceans. This gravitational stretching causes the outer disks of stars and interstellar gas to elongate into two distinct, sweeping tails: one trailing and one preceding each galaxy. |
| Related Observations | Arp159 (3) NGC4725 (3) |
| Catalog Links | All Listings |
