Captured with: Seestar S50
Distance: ~11.1 million light-years
Constellation: Cetus
Type: Intermediate spiral galaxy (SAB(s)d)
Apparent Size: ~19.2 × 5.5 arcminutes
NGC 247 is one of the nearest spiral galaxies beyond our Local Group — a member of the Sculptor Group. What earned it the nickname “Claw Galaxy” (also “Needle’s-Eye Galaxy”) is one side of its disk being mysteriously void of young, blue stars, making the galaxy’s profile look somewhat uneven, like a claw’s uneven grasp.
When viewed through a scope like your Seestar S50, the Claw Galaxy appears as a diffuse, elongated smear of light — a subtle but striking spiral seen almost edge-on. Because it’s a low surface-brightness galaxy, it may look faint, but with dark skies and careful observing, its extended disk and oval shape become apparent.
Structurally, NGC 247 shows something unusual: a large gap in star formation on one side of the disk. That region isn’t empty — it still holds older, redder stars — but lacks younger, brighter stars and nebular activity. Some astronomers speculate this could be the result of a past interaction with a nearly dark subhalo, or gravitational disturbance that suppressed star formation for over a billion years.
Beyond its odd “claw-like” shape, NGC 247 belongs to the family of dwarf or low-surface-brightness spirals — reminding us that even quiet, unassuming galaxies hold clues to cosmic evolution, dark matter, and the turbulent history of galactic neighborhoods.