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NGC 6946 Fireworks Galaxy
Magnitude: 9.6
Distance: Aprox: 22 million light-years
Constellation: Cepheus & Cygnus
Diameter: 40,000 light-years
An intermediate spiral galaxy. It is highly obscured by interstellar matter of the Milky Way galaxy, as it is quite close to the galactic plane. The true diameter of the galaxy is approximately 40,000 light-years or just about one-third of the Milky Way's size. In the past century, ten supernovae have been observed to explode in the arms of this galaxy, which has been classified as a starburst galaxy. This makes it the most prolific known galaxy for this type of event over a period of 100 years. By comparison, the Milky Way galaxy, which has double the number of stars as NGC 6946, averages one supernova event per century. In 2009, a star in the Fireworks galaxy flared up over several months to become over 1 million times as bright as the sun. Shortly after, it appeared to vanish.
Taken 9/29/17 in Toledo, Ohio by Russell Kille on a CPC 1100 with Hyperstar @ F2 and ZWO ASI224MC camera
Taken 9/15/18 at Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Clayton, MI by Russell Kille on a CPC 1100 with Hyperstar @ F2 and ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera
Wider Field
