Galaxy NGC 7479 (Caldwell 44)

About the object

NGC 7479 in Pegasus, a spiral galaxy with a prominent bar from whose ends two asymmetric arms extend; its silhouette earned it the nickname Superman Galaxy. The asymmetry is probably the trace of a recent merger with a smaller galaxy. Star formation is active in the nucleus, and in radio a jet is seen winding the opposite way to the arms, a great rarity among spirals.

Distance: about 105 million light-years, apparent size in the sky: 4′ × 3′, constellation Pegasus.

How it was shot

Everything here was shot with a DWARF Mini smart telescope from a balcony in a city in Ukraine: light-polluted sky, only the eastern half of it visible, and a roof overhang that cuts off the south. 3 nights (1 night in September and 2 in October), 3 sessions, 540 frames with exposures of 15 and 30 s, without a filter, in broadband. The stack holds 3 h 38 min of light; the longest night, 2 October, gave 1 h 36 min. The goal for this object is 8 h, 45% done so far. First night 20 September 2026, last one 2 October 2026.

Galaxy NGC 7479 (Caldwell 44) in the night log: 20 September, 1 October, 2 October.

How it went

A small distant galaxy that the DWARF Mini renders as a few dozen pixels with a hint of a bar. Three evening sessions without a filter at 15 and 30 seconds, with a dew shield against the street lights, which until midnight leave a visible gradient on one side of the frame. The result is honest: the shape is recognisable, the arm details are not. This is the device's limit for galaxies a hundred million light-years away.