APOD: 2026 January 26 – NGC 55: A Galaxy of Nebulas

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the January 26, 2026 edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD).

NGC 55 (aka The String of Pearls Galaxy) was discovered by Scots astronomer James Dunlop in 1826. It lies in the constellation Sculptor, which was first described by French astronomer Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille in 1752. The galaxy lies about 6.5 million light years from our Milky Way.

This composite image is the result of over 50 hours of exposure time. The astrophotographer used both Hα (ionized hydrogen) and OIII filters to bring out the colors we see. Here are his observations that he shared on Astrobin: "I started the project in July and did a couple of hours of Hα and the just out of curiosity also OIII, it looked interesting so I kept collecting data."

I personally am glad that he kept on "collecting data." Being able to see NGC 55 'edge-on' (from our perspective on Earth) is likely what helps us to see the individual nebulae (or star nurseries) within the galaxy. A galaxy of nebulas indeed.