NGC 247

Alt. Designations: NGC 247
Object Type: barred spiral galaxy
Constellation: Cetus
Distance: 11 mly
Right Ascension: 00h 47m 08.3s
Declination: -20° 45´ 36"
Visual Magnitude: 8.9
Apparent Dimension: 19.2´ X 5.5´
Best Month To View: Nov

NGC 247 (aka Caldwell 62) is a dwarf spiral galaxy in Cetus, and it is a member of the Sculptor Group, the nearest group of galaxies to our Local Group which includes the Milky Way. NGC 247 has a slightly irregular shape on one end where the spiral arm has a hollowed out appearance on long-exposure photographs, resembling the shape of a neddle's eye. Recent measurements placed this galaxy about 11 million light-years away.