Messier 32, also cataloged as NGC 221, is a small but bright elliptical galaxy that shines at magnitude 8.08, making it a rewarding target for astrophotographers with even modest apertures. Its compact angular size of 3.4′ × 2.7′ means it appears as a dense, luminous glow, ideal for framing alongside its far larger neighbor. With a fairly high surface brightness of 19.1 mag/arcsec², it holds detail well and stands out crisply against the background sky in longer exposures. Because it is so concentrated, careful attention to focus and stretching is needed to keep its bright core from blowing out while preserving the faint outer halo.
Names and Catalog numbers
- M 32 (Messier 32)
- NGC 221
- UGC 452
- PGC 2555
- Arp 168
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
Messier 32 sits in Andromeda at right ascension 00h 42m 41.8s and declination +40° 51′ 55″, placing it directly beside the great Andromeda Galaxy. This proximity makes it one of the most famous satellite companions in the northern sky, and it almost always shares the same field of view in wide-frame images of its host system. For astrophotographers, this offers a natural compositional bonus: a single exposure can capture the sweeping spiral disc of its enormous neighbor together with the tight, star-like glow of Messier 32 nestled against it. Its high declination keeps it well placed for observers across the northern hemisphere throughout the autumn months.
Nice to Know
- Despite spanning only about 13,200 light-years across, Messier 32 is remarkably compact and dense, appearing almost stellar in short exposures.
- It carries the peculiar-galaxy designation Arp 168, reflecting its distorted interaction with its larger neighbor.
- Its negative radial velocity of -199 km/s shows it is approaching us, a hallmark of galaxies within the Local Group.
- With multiple catalog identities including NGC 221, PGC 2555 and UGC 452, it is a well-studied and easily located photographic target.
Brightness, distance and size
The object has an apparent magnitude of 8.1 mag, it lies about 13.4 million light-years from Earth and spans roughly 13,200 light-years across. On the sky it appears about 3.4′ × 2.7′ in size.
