NGC 3184

NGC 3184, μ Ursae Majoris

NGC 3184, the Little Pinwheel Galaxy, is an unbarred spiral galaxy located approximately 40 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Its name comes from its resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy. It was discovered on March 18, 1787, by the German-British astronomer William Herschel. The galaxy has two HII regions, known as NGC 3180 and NGC 3181.

NGC 3184 has a high concentration of heavy elements. The blue color of its spiral arms is mainly due to a relatively small number of bright young blue stars. The luminous stars that highlight the arms were formed in massive density waves that circle the center.

The galaxy is estimated to be 26 million light-years away from our Milky Way and has a diameter of 60,000 light-years.

The bright star on the left is μ Ursae Majoris, officially named "Tania Australis," a binary star with an apparent visual magnitude of +3.06, located approximately 230 light-years away from us.

Astronomical Picture of the Day (APOD) on Apod GrAG

Astronomical Picture of the Day (APOD) on APOD BRASIL

Image Details

Date

February 18 & 19, 2025

LOCATion

Hannover (Germany)

Sky Quality

Bortle 5

Telescope

Skywatcher 200/1000 @750mm f/3.75

Mount

Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro

Main Cameras

ZWO ASI 2600 MC Pro
Gain 100, Offset 18, -10°
TS 2600 MP
Gain 100, Offset 200, -10°

Focuser

ZWO EAF

Filter

Baader UV/IR-Cut Filter
Antlia EDGE H-alpha 4.5nm

Exposure

RGB: 480 × 60″ (8h)
Ha: 338 × 60″ (5h 38')
Total: 13h 38‘

Guiding

ZWO ASI 120MM, PHD2

Calibration

Flats, Darks, Darkflats

Software

N.I.N.A., EQMod

Other

Starizona Nexus Reducer & Corrector

Processing

Astropixelprocessor, Photoshop, Pixinsight

Gallery

ALL · NEBULA · GALAXIES · CLUSTERS · COMETS · MOON · OTHER

Copernicus

Moon

Mare Imbrium

Cluster

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NGC 6914

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IC 447

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Interstellar Shells

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Orion Nebula

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Regulus & Dwarf Galaxy

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Sh2-140

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Sh2-187

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NGC 2403

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NGC 654

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Coathanger, Loch Ness a.o.

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Ghost of Cassiopeia

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Bode's Galaxy

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Butterfly Nebula (IC 1318)

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NGC 3184

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M 38 in HaRGB

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Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)

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NGC 7822

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Pinwheel Galaxy

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Cone Nebula

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Aurora

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NGC 4151 & 4145

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Cave Nebula

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NGC 4725, 4747 & 4712

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The Crescent Nebula

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Lion Nebula

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M 13

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Horsehead Nebula (SHO)

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M 35 & NGC 2158

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Sh2-134 Widefield

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NGC 5033 & Friends

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Clamshell Nebula

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The Dark Mermaid

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Loch Ness Nebula

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Heart & Soul Nebula

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Iris Nebula

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Elephant's Trunk Nebula

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NGC 3718

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Flaming Star Nebula

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IC 410

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Andromeda Galaxy