Distant Galaxy NGC 7497 Behind The Milky Way Galaxy's Integrated Flux Nebula

Distant Galaxy NGC 7497 Behind The Milky Way Galaxy's Integrated Flux Nebula

Distant barred spiral galaxy NGC 7497 can be seen through the Milky Way Galaxy's Integrated Flux Nebula (IFN). This galaxy is not surrounded by this nebula. It just appears that way. This nebula's dust is much closer to us than the galaxy. It is like looking at the moon on a partially cloudy night. This dust, unlike classic reflection nebulas that are usually illuminated by neighboring stars, is actually illuminated by the glow of our own Milky Way Galaxy. The IFN nebula is very faint. Amateur astronomer Steve Mandel named this nebulosity the Integrated Flux Nebula, or IFN. The IFN nebula is estimated to be between 400 and 1,000 light years away. The galaxy NGC 7497 is around 50-60 million light years from Earth.

The 0.81 m (32 in) Schulman Telescope is a Ritchey-Chrétien reflector built by RC Optical Systems and installed in 2010. It is operated by the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter and is Arizona's largest dedicated public observatory. The Schulman Telescope was designed from inception for remote control over the Internet by amateur and professional astrophotographers worldwide. It is currently the world's largest telescope dedicated for this purpose.

Technical Details:

Optics: Schulman 32-inch RCOS Telescope

Camera: SBIG STX16803

Image Credit & Copyright: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Caption Acknowledgements: European Space Agency/The Cloudy Nights Astronomical Community

Image Date: Oct. 1, 2012

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