NGC 6027 – Seyfert’s Sextet
About the Object
NGC 6027 and its companions (a.k.a. HCG 79) form the famous Seyfert's Sextet. Located about 190 million light-years away in the constellation Serpens, Seyfert's Sextet is considered one of the most evolved compact galaxy groups known, offering a glimpse into the long-term fate of interacting galaxies as they gradually merge into a single larger system. Much like the better-known and considerably closer Stephan's Quintet, the system appears to contain six galaxies packed into a remarkably small volume of space (interestingly, Seyfert’s sextet was discovered by Stephan). In both groups, however, one member is a foreground galaxy seen by chance along the same line of sight rather than being physically associated with the interacting system. The remaining galaxies are engaged in a complex gravitational dance, producing tidal distortions, stripped stellar material, and ongoing dynamical evolution - in fact, one of the Sextett’s members is not a galaxy on its own right but the tidal tail of another one. So from the physical point of view, Stephan’s Quintet and Seyfert’s Sextet are both galaxy quartets.
Observation Notes
Data were taken on 2026 May 22, 23, 24, and 25
Technical Details
View the full-resolution image together with complete acquisition and processing details on AstroBin.
View on AstroBin ↗