The galaxy NGC 55 in Sculptor. Although your view will be hampered by low-elevation conditions, this richly detailed object is impressive for its structure and unusual appearance.

NGC 55 is one of the most fascinating and detailed galaxies in the sky. For northern observers, the view of this beautiful object is severely hampered by low-altitude conditions: greater atmospheric extinction and poor seeing. Nonetheless, this object is definitely worth a look. A dark, high-altitude site with a clear southern horizon will improve your view of this object. Be sure to observe when the object is on the meridian.

Even small scopes will show the unusual shape, a long bar with a brighter west end. The galaxy is roughly 30 x 5 arc-minutes, oriented east-west. A ten-inch or larger scope will begin to show mottling in the brighter western section. The surface brightness is fairly low, so this object does not stand up well to high magnification.

This galaxy is generally classified as a loosely structured barred spiral seen nearly edge-on.

How to get there:

NGC 55 is in a region of the sky devoid of bright stars. It is located 8.4° east of magnitude 4.3 Beta Sculptoris, or 4.2° south of magnitude 5.2 Theta Sculptoris. If you have a clear southern horizon, you can use Alpha Phoenicis (mag 2.4) as your guide; NGC 55 lies 3.6° northwest of the star.

Finder chart for NGC 55