Celebrate NGC 4361

Amidst the myriad spring galaxies lies NGC 4361, a large and bright planetary nebula located in the southern constellation of Corvus, the Crow. Locating it means dipping low towards the murkier skies close to the horizon, but it’s well worth the extra effort to find and observe it.

NGC 4361 forms the apex of an upside-down triangle with magnitude +2.9 Algorab (delta [d] Corvi) and magnitude +2.6 Gienah (gamma [g] Corvi), the northern pair of stars in Corvus’ irregular quadrilateral-shaped asterism of third-magnitude stars. It lies about 2.5° from both stars. NGC 4361 culminates at around 11.30pm BST at an elevation of just short of 20°.

NGC 4361 appears clearly as a nebula through a 150mm (six-inch) telescope at a power of 50x, though a small telescope will struggle to show it as anything other than an ‘out-of-focus star’ at low power. Image show a delightful object, covering almost 2′ at its fullest.

As fascinating as NGC 4361 is, the true showstoppers in Corvus are the remarkable Antennae Galaxies, NGC 4038 and NGC 4039. These two galaxies are locked in a cosmic dance, their spiral arms distorted and elongated by their violent gravitational interaction, resembling the antennae of an insect.

Locating the Antennae Galaxies is a treat for observers. They lie just over 5° west of NGC 4361, about 3.5° south-west of the star Gienah (gamma Corvi), which forms part of Corvus’ distinctive quadrilateral asterism. Through a 150mm (6-inch) telescope, the pair appears as a fuzzy halo, a hint of their ongoing galactic collision.

While visually unimpressive from a small backyard telescope, deep images reveal the true beauty and chaos of the Antennae Galaxies. Streamers of stars, gas, and dust extend outward, forming the distinctive “antennae” that give the pair their name. These cosmic tides are the result of the galaxies’ ongoing merger, a process that will eventually lead to their complete coalescence into a single, larger galaxy.

The Antennae Galaxies offer astronomers a unique opportunity to study the processes that shape galaxy evolution. As the two galaxies merge, their interstellar matter is compressed, triggering bursts of star formation and igniting regions of intense activity. These violent events provide insights into the forces that sculpt galaxies over billions of years.