UNGUIDED
CDK20: FL 2280mm,  F/4.5,  0.34 arcsec/pixel raw
Imaged: 1/10/2022, 1/11/2022, 1/12/2022, 1/26/2022, 1/28/2022, 1/29/2022, 2/30/2022, 2/3/2022

NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

It is classified as a Seyfert galaxy and as a LINER galaxy. It also has a prominent, extended dust lane.

The disk of NGC 4302 contains extraplanar dust that is organized into filamentary structures and large dust complexes. The apparent bending of many of the large complexes toward the north of the galaxy appears to be due to an interaction with the intracluster medium caused by the motion of NGC 4302 as it falls into the Virgo Cluster.

The dense, dusty matter in the disk of NGC 4302 appears to be largely tracing matter ejected from the disk by energetic feedback from massive stars.

NGC 4298 is a flocculent spiral galaxy located about 53 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

NGC 4298 may harbor an intermediate-mass black hole with an estimated mass ranging from 20,000 (2×104 M) to 500,000 (5×105 M) solar masses.

NGC 4298 appears to form a pair with NGC 4302 and appears to interact with it. Evidence for an interaction between the two galaxies are that NGC 4298 exhibits a lopsided, asymmetrical distribution of stars, a tidal bridge that connects it to NGC 4302, and a prodigious rate of star formation and an HI-tail. However, the tail is also the result of ram pressure.

The two galaxies are separated from a projected distance of ~36,000 ly (11 kpc).
(Wikipedia)

My Collections:
Abell Planetary Nebulae (Complete)
Galaxies
Messier Objects
Planetary Nebulae
Sharpless 2 Objects