NGC 2708 is a distorted spiral galaxy, located approximately 111 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. With an apparent size in the field of view of 2.9×1 arcminutes it spans about 65,000 light-years across, the galaxy shows signs of recent gravitational disturbance: a faint stellar halo and two extended tidal streams or jets stretch outward, likely the result of an interaction with a close companion.
That companion, visible in the upper left, is likely NGC 2709—a barred spiral galaxy with an apparent size of 1.6 × 0.7 arcminutes, corresponding to a physical diameter of around 48,000 light-years.
It lies at a similar distance of approximately 112 million light-years strongly suggesting that it is a true physical companion of NGC 2708.
The distorted structure of NGC 2708, including curved plumes and diffuse debris, points to an active history of tidal interaction, likely involving NGC 2709. These faint features are rarely captured in shorter exposures and help trace the gravitational dance between galaxies.
Adding even more interest, NGC 2708 hosted a Type Ia supernova—SN 2023bee—in February 2023, which peaked at magnitude 13.2.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby