NGC 1350

NGC 1350
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Fornax
Right ascension	03h 31m 08.1s[1]
Declination	-33° 37′ 43″[1]
Redshift	0.006354 (1905 +/-3 km/sec)[1]
Distance	87.4 Mly (26.8 Mpc)[1]
Type	Sa(r)[2]
Apparent dimensions (V)	5.2 x 2.8 arcmin[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.46[1]
Notable features	pronounced ring structure
Other designations
PGC 013059
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

NGC 1350 is a beautiful spiral galaxy located 87 million light years away in the southern constellation Fornax (the Furnace). It measures roughly 130,000 light years across: slightly larger than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. It is classified as a Sa(r) galaxy, meaning that it is a spiral with arms wound tightly enough to form a prominent central ring. The faint outer ring (called a "pseudo-ring") is sometimes added to the beginning of the classification with the designation "R^'₁."^[1] NGC 1350 is seen on the outskirts of the Fornax cluster of galaxies, but its estimated distance suggests that it is not a member.^[2] As of Dec 2008 there were no objects of note found in this galaxy.

Image

The image on the right is an almost-true color composite image made with the VLT's 8.2 meter Kueyen telescope on 26 Jan 2000, at the European Southern Observatory site at Cerro Paranal, Chile. Observations were done at the following wavelengths (and assigned the following colors): B (blue) for 6 minutes, V (green) for 4 minutes, R (orange) for 3 minutes, and I (red) for 3 minutes. The image covers a region of 8.0 x 5.0 arcminutes of sky. North is to the left and East is down.^[2]

The viewing angle and the two rings make NGC 1350 look somewhat like a cosmic "eye." Another interesting feature is the tenuous nature of the outer arms, through which a number of background galaxies can be seen. The outer region's blue tint indicates the presence of star formation.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 1350. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 5 Dec 2008. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "The Colossal Cosmic Eye: ESO's VLT Captures Image of Spiral Galaxy NGC 1350". European Southern Observatory (ESO) press release. 29 Sep 2005. http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/press-rel/pr-2005/phot-31-05.html. Retrieved 5 Dec 2008. 

Coordinates: 03^h 31^m 08.1^s, −33° 37′ 43″