Marseille Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Marseille, France, with a history that goes back to the early 18th century. In its 1877 incarnation, it was the discovery site of a group of galaxies known as Stephan's Quintet, discovered by its director Édouard Stephan. Marseille Observatory is now run as a joint research unit by Aix-Marseille University and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
Marseille Observatory use the GRAPE, a gravity simulation software to simulate planetary formation
Palais Longchamp
Stephan's Quintet is a visual grouping of five galaxies of which four form the first compact galaxy group ever discovered. The group, visible in the constellation Pegasus, was discovered by Édouard Stephan in 1877 at the Marseille Observatory.
The group is the most studied of all the compact galaxy groups. The brightest member of the visual grouping is NGC 7320, which has extensive H II regions, identified as red blobs, where active star formation is occurring.
Clockwise from upper left: NGC 7320, NGC 7319, NGC 7318 (a and b), NGC 7317
Stephan's Quintet. The blue arc across the top center is a shock caused by colliding intergalactic gas. Image Credits: X-ray (blue): NASA/CXC/CfA/E. O'Sullivan Optical (brown): Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope/Coelum
Earthbound monochrome (sdss-g filtered) image of Stephan's Quintet from the Liverpool Telescope
Detail of the quintet in a photo by Hubble Space Telescope, 1998–99. Credits: NASA/ESA