Centered in this image is Hickson Compact Group 68, which comprises the following five galaxies (from top to bottom):
- Barred spiral NGC 5350
- Lenticular NGC 5355
- Lenticular NGC 5354
- Lenticular NGC 5353
- Lenticular NGC 5358
This group of galaxies lies about 125 million light years away. Located at about the same distance is NGC 5371, the large, bright, barred spiral at the left side of the image.There are indications that NGC 5371 is physically associated with HCG 68. All six of these galaxies appear to lie on a filament of galaxies connecting the Coma Cluster to the Virgo Cluster.
This image was shot under rather challenging conditions. Seeing was quite poor, and the Moon was full. Most of the stars in the field are rather dim, except for the two bright ones immediately to the right of HCG 68. It was a bit of a challenge stretching the image enough to yield an aesthetically pleasing star field, without, in the process, blowing up those two bright stars to the point where they dominated the image and even swamped the galaxies (which themselves are on the dim side). And, of course, all that moonlight added a healthy dose of extra noise to the image. In the end, I am more or less pleased with the result.
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