A distant disk galaxy with pockets of ongoing star formation
NGC 2996 lies in the constellation Hydra and is a distant disk galaxy, commonly classified as an early-type system (S0/a or very early spiral). Despite its compact and orderly appearance, it is not nearby; published velocities and NED-compiled distances place it at roughly 430–440 million light-years from Earth
On the sky, NGC 2996 spans about 1.48 × 1.15 arcminutes, corresponding to a physical diameter of roughly 180–190 thousand light-years at that distance. A bright central concentration dominates the luminosity hierarchy, embedded in a smooth disk that gives the galaxy its evolved character. Along the spiral arm structure, however, several distinct blue patches are visible, marking localized regions of recent or ongoing star formation. These blue knots stand out against the warmer inner disk and dust-laden arm segments, showing that this is not a fully passive lenticular system, but an early disk that still retains modest, structured star-forming activity
The wider field reveals a dense population of background galaxies, made visible by the depth of this first-light image from the ASA Astrosysteme AZ 1500, measured here to a limiting magnitude of approximately 25. At this depth, many of the smallest and faintest background systems are far more distant than NGC 2996 itself, plausibly extending to several billion light-years, and in some cases approaching half the age of the universe in light-travel distance. These remote galaxies form a layered extragalactic backdrop that emphasizes both the true scale of NGC 2996 and the extraordinary reach of the telescope, turning what appears at first glance to be a single galaxy portrait into a window onto a much deeper cosmological volume
This image is also significant as the first light from the ASA Astrosysteme AZ 1500, a new telescope now in operation at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile. With a scope resolution capability of .3” and a limiting magnitude in excess of 25 it brings into range many objects that were previously out of practical reach.
Imaged in LRGB on the ASA Astrosysteme AZ 1500 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image Acquisition and Processing: Mike Selby