Combination of 10, 3 minute exposures unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham cassegrain telescope at prime focus.
NGC 1275, also know as Perseus A, is a giant elliptical galaxy that is the brightest member of a rich cluster of galaxies. As the designation Persues A implies, the galaxy is a strong source of radio noise. Images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope reveal a very distorted central region with considerable dust. Evidently the result of a "recent" galaxy merger.
There are over a hundred galaxies visible in the above image. NGC 1275 is the bright galaxy close to the centre. To the right of it is another giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 1272, while above it is NGC 1278. All of these are visible in an 8" telescope.
