| "The sky is the ultimate art gallery just above us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 82) |
Astrophotography by Jason Jennings |
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| Galaxies :: NGC1365 - Barred Spiral Galaxy | |
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| Resolutions Available: 800x600 : 1600x1200 : 2400x1800 | |
| Object | NGC1365 in Fornax |
| Comment |
NGC1365 is a giant barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Fornax and a member of the Fornax Cluster of Galaxies. Many spiral galaxies have bars across their center, however few are so prominent as the one present in NGC1365. The location of young blue star clusters and pink HII regions in the dramatic spiral arms indicate a strong rotating density as they twirl towards the galaxy's nucleus. The bright yellow nucleus is likely to contain a massive black hole. Astronomers believe the gravity field of NGC1365's bar plays a crucial role in the galaxy's evolution, funneling gas and dust into the central star forming regions and ultimately feeding material into its massive black hole. NGC1365 is approximately 60 million light-years distant. Thanks to Fred Vanderhaven for the additional luminance data from his 10" RCOS/ST8 combo which assisted in completing this mission. This image is a LLRGB composite. Award: The David Malin Awards 2008 - Amateur Deep Sky Category - Honourable Mention |
| Optics | RCOS 12.5" F/9.15 (2846mm FL) |
| Camera | SBIG STL-11000M - 1x1 bin (image scale .65 arcsec/pix) |
| Mount | Paramount ME |
| Exposure | Total exposure time: 6.5 hours (L:210min,R:60min,G:60min,B:60min) |
| Date |
04/11/2007 - 05/11/2007 |