AP#3 : NGC 247
Name: The "Claw" or "Needle's eye" Galaxy
Constellation:Cetus
Instrument: 8-inch F5 reflector with Sky watcher coma corrector and an ASI 2600 MC (gain 100 -20C)
Exposure time:16 Five-minute and 9 three-minute exposures.
Star Chart from Michael Vlasov's Deep sky hunter star atlas available on line https://www.deepskywatch.com/deep-sky-hunter-atlas.html
Magnitude: 9.9
Angular size: 21' X 7'
NGC 247 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Cetus and is part of the Sculptor galaxy group. Often overshadowed by nearby NGC 253 (AP#4), this galaxy is unique in that it has an empty area on one side of the galaxy, which gives it its claw-like/needle's eye appearance. There area also some smaller galaxies nearby that are unrelated to NGC 247. Five of them are in a row and compose "Burbidge's chain". They are visible in this image to the upper left of the galaxy.
