Explanation:
This intriguing trio of galaxies is sometimes
called the Draco Group, located in the northern
constellation of (you guessed it)
Draco.
From left to right are
edge-on spiral NGC 5981,
elliptical galaxy NGC 5982, and
face-on spiral NGC 5985 --
all within this single telescopic
field of view spanning a little more than
half the width of the full moon.
While the group is far too small to be a
galaxy cluster
and has not been
cataloged
compact group, these galaxies all do lie roughly
100 million light-years from planet Earth.
On close examination with
spectrographs, the bright core of the
striking face-on spiral NGC 5985 shows
prominent emission in specific wavelengths of light, prompting
astronomers to classify it as a
Seyfert, a type of active galaxy.
Not as well known as other tight
groupings of galaxies,
the contrast in visual appearance
makes this triplet an attractive subject for
astrophotographers.