NGC 6015 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Draco, the Dragon. It lies about 40 million light-years away from Earth. This galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on June 3, 1788, during his deep-sky surveys using one of the largest telescopes of his time. He cataloged many such objects, which later became part of the New General Catalogue (NGC).
NGC 6015 is classified as a flocculent spiral galaxy, which means its spiral arms are patchy and not as clearly defined as in classic spirals like the Whirlpool Galaxy. Think of it like a swirl of cotton candy rather than the clean arms of a pinwheel. This appearance happens because the stars in the arms form in bursts rather than along smooth, continuous curves.
From Earth, we view NGC 6015 almost face-on, which makes it easier to study its structure. It has a bright central core and a disk filled with star-forming regions, shown by the blue glow in images taken with ultraviolet and optical light. These areas are where new stars are born from clouds of gas and dust.
Published: May 1, 2025
Total integration: 4h 30m
Integration per filter:
- LP: 4h 30m (135 × 120″)
Equipment:
- Telescope: Celestron NexStar 8SE
- Camera: ZWO ASI294MC Pro
- Mount: Juwei 17
- Filter: Optolong L-Pro 1.25″
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight, Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)
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