NGC 672 and IC 1727 - wonderfuluniverse.de

NGC 672 and IC 1727 from my backyard and Jade Observatory

In 2014, I captured a luminance image of NGC 672 and IC 1727 using my CCD equipment. The focus at that time was to record the faint outer structures and tidal distortions of this nearby galaxy pair. Eleven years later, in 2025, I finally completed the project by adding fresh RGB data acquired from my new Jade Observatory with modern CMOS equipment. For the final LRGB combination, the RGB data were upscaled to match the higher-resolution luminance frame, allowing the detailed structural information from the 2014 dataset to define the image while the newer color data provided a natural and balanced chromatic representation. The result bridges more than a decade of technological progress in a single image.

Scientifically, NGC 672 is a nearby barred spiral galaxy, located roughly 20–25 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. Together with IC 1727, it forms a gravitationally interacting pair. Their mutual tidal forces distort the spiral arms, trigger enhanced star formation, and create subtle outer features that become visible in deep exposures. This system serves as an excellent example of how galaxy interactions drive structural evolution and stimulate star-forming activity. The long-exposure luminance data reveal faint tidal extensions and asymmetries, while the RGB integration highlights the bluish star-forming regions and warmer stellar populations within the distorted spiral arms.

Data calibration, registration and the final processing was done with PixInsight. The result was as follows: