The field contains many distant galaxies, most of which are well over a billion light years distant. This image sets a record for the most distant object I know I imaged. Since I don't check all images for distant objects I may have a more distant one in some other image but this is the most distant one I've found at 11.6 billion light years. Thus we are looking back in time to when the universe was only about 2 billion years old. Few quasars are known even further back in the past. Most didn't come into existence until several more billion years passed. It's a real fossil. It may predate our galaxy which most sources say is about 10 billion years old.

Here is a list of the objects I was able to identify in this image listed from right to left. This data comes in Right Ascension order and in my images with north up that runs from right to left. I didn't bother to reverse the list. All data comes from the NED database. If distance and magnitude were listed I included it. All are galaxies unless labeled QSO. BLY stands for billion light years. The magnitude is the last number.

SDSS J000338.94+160220.6 is a rather odd double object. It seems to consists of both an elliptical galaxy and a star like object (the QSO?) below which seems to have a long slightly curving, broken, tail going to the left (east). I can't find anything on it. It may be up to 4 separate objects. Where's Hubble when you need it?

2MASX J00022725+1604426, SDSS J000227.29+160442.5 and a third unidentified one appear to be an interacting triplet with lots of scattered stars. For some reason the NED database is really screwed up for the 2MASX object. They say it is magnitude 2.62 and has a major axis of 60 minutes of arc. That's nearly twice the width of my entire field!

Right to left
2MASX J00020761+1610526
SDSS J000209.36+161040.3 3.0 BLY 19.7
SDSS J000227.29+160442.5 1.2 BLY 17.6
2MASX J00022725+1604426 MAGNITUDE OBVIOUS ERROR AT 2.62!
2MASX J00023551+1606356
SDSS J000238.81+160103.4 1.4 BLY 17.7
SDSS J000246.18+155955.8 3.9 BLY 19.3 QSO
2MASX J00025057+1604007
2MASX J00025126+1604227 1.2 BLY 17.3
2MASX J00025195+1603137 1.1 BLY 17.6
SDSS J000300.34+160027.7 11.6 BLY 21.0 QSO
SDSS J000302.46+161310.6 4.0 BLY 19.9
SDSS J000302.61+160731.2 1.2 BLY 18.4
SDSS J000305.15+160855.8 2.7 BLY 19.6
SDSS J000306.59+160751.1 1.8 BLY 18.2
SDSS J000308.14+155837.3 1.1 BLY 18.1
IC 5381 474 MLY 14.7
2MASX J00031045+1615263
SDSS J000311.37+160327.5 1.4 BLY 18.8
(64856) 2001 YD42 MAG 16.7 Asteroid
SDSS J000315.25+160253.8 472 MLY 18.0
SDSS J000334.24+161109.3 2.1 BLY 18.7
SDSS J000338.94+160220.6 1.4 BLY 17.8 QSO AND GALAXY
SDSS J000339.89+160703.8
CGCG 456-027 267 MLY 15.5
SDSS J000344.48+161313.4 3.9 BLY 20.2
2MASX J00040080+1601103
SDSS J000417.04+160554.0 8.6 BLY 19.8 QSO

Far more objects, including what appears to be a tight galaxy cluster can be seen in the image but none of the on line data bases seem to know anything about them.

I couldn't compress the image and still have readable text and still fit the bandwidth limit so you'll have to use this link.
http://www.spacebanter.com/attachmen...5&d=1228167009

Rick

Very Impressive image Rick, And very nice on the labels on most of these galaxies. And Great info too. Clear Skies