NGC 5953
RA: 15 34 32.3
DEC: +15 11 39
Mag (V): 12.0
Size: 1.6' x 1.3'
NGC 5953
RA: 15 34 34.9
DEC: +15 12 04
Mag (V): 12.2
Size: 1.1' x 0.5'
Both galaxies were discovered by William Herschel in 1784.
Since then they found entry in the famous catalogues like the “Vorontsov-Velyaminov” (VV 244) or Arp (91). Arp sorts both galaxies in the main group: “Spiral Galaxies” with the sub group “companions on arms – large, high surface brightness companions”.
Only a few scientific papers describe this pair. The same distances (25 Mpc) and the appearance indicate a galaxy-galaxy interaction. NGC 5953 is a Seyfert 2 typ and host an active galactic nucleus (AGN). The combination of an AGN and the interaction results massive star formation and shows interaction sign like bridges and plumes.
Visually both are in reach of small to mid size telescopes. The small size is the problem - with 1.5’ lateral extension, the group has only ~1/5 of the pair M 51/NGC 5195. High magnification is the key to detect the details. With larger aperture the bridge, the HII regions in NGC 5954 or the faint plume north of NGC 5953 could be the challenge. For lovers of faint companion galaxies UGC 9902 is located 3.8’ south of the pair.
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