NGC 247 (also known as Caldwell 62 and commonly known as the Claw Galaxy[3]) is an
intermediate spiral galaxy (although it is sometimes classified as a
dwarf spiral galaxy) about 11.1
Mly away in the
constellationCetus. This distance was confirmed in late February 2011. Previous measurements showed that the galaxy was about
12.2Mly away, but this was proved to be wrong.[4] NGC 247 is a member of the
Sculptor Group, and is 70 000 light years in diameter. [5]
NGC 247 has an unusually large void on one side of its spiral disk. This void contains some older, redder
stars but no younger, bluer stars.[6]
Nearby galaxies and galaxy group information
NGC 247 is one of several galaxies that is gravitationally bound to the
Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253). These galaxies form a small core in the center of the
Sculptor Group, which is one of the nearest
groups of galaxies to the
Milky Way.[7] Most other galaxies associated with the Sculptor Group are only weakly gravitationally bound to this core.[7][8]
^
Wagner-Kaiser, R.; Demaio, T.; Sarajedini, A.; Chakrabarti, S. (2014). "The Void in the Sculptor Group Spiral Galaxy NGC 247". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 443 (4): 3260–3269.
arXiv:1407.0584.
Bibcode:
2014MNRAS.443.3260W.
doi:
10.1093/mnras/stu1327.