NGC 6744

NGC 6744 is classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy and has a similar structure to the Milky Way.  It’s located in the southern constellation Pavo at a distance of about 30 million light-years.  The low surface brightness of this galaxy requires long exposures to reveal the wonderful structures near the core and along its arms.   The similarities with our own galaxy include the elongated core, flocculent (fluffy) arms, and a similar companion galaxy NGC 6744A, similar to one of the Magellanic Clouds in our own galaxy.   The arm on the top left is most likely distorted by this companion galaxy.  NGC 6744 is a member of the Virgo Supercluster.
This is a combination of CCD and CMOS images using Pixinsight.