NGC 5156, is a face on spiral galaxy located about 96 million light-years away in the constellation Centaurus.
The galaxy spans approximately 2.4 by 1.2 arcminutes in the sky, corresponding to a true size of roughly 67,000 by 33,500 light-years.
NGC 5156 presents a delicate structure: a bright, compact central core surrounded by well-defined spiral arms. The inner regions are tightly wrapped, while the outer arms gradually loosen and fade into the surrounding faint halo. The galaxy’s disk displays a subtle but noticeable asymmetry, with slight arm fragmentation and irregular extensions, suggesting that NGC 5156 may have experienced minor tidal interactions in its past.
Faint blue patches highlight areas of recent star formation along the arms, while the central bulge appears yellowish, marking an older, more evolved stellar population. Surrounding NGC 5156, a backdrop of distant galaxies fills the frame, from small edge-on spirals to faint, redshifted ellipticals, hinting at the vast depth of the universe beyond.
Despite its relative isolation today, the structure of NGC 5156 hints that it has not always lived a solitary life. The slight asymmetries and faint outer features tell a quiet story of gradual evolution shaped by its environment.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby