M77 is a magnitude 9.6 (8.9?), type Sb spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus. It is over 170,000 light years across (bright part measuring about 120,000 light years,) and over 49 million light years away (60000 (kly)?).
It is the nearest and brightest example of a type II Seyfert galaxy, showing broad and strong emission lines due to high velocity gas in the galaxy's inner regions. A strong radio source (probably a supermassive blackhole) known as Cetus A sits in the nucleus.
The foreground star to the left of M77 is the magnitude 10.81 HIP 12668, on a distance of 982.40 light years and spectral type G0. Using this image, I determined the angular separation between this star and the galaxy core is 88.1 arcseconds (PA 295°).
2003-10-10: 30 minute exposure through a red, green and blue filter each (3x3x600s). Camera cooled to -20°C.
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