NGC1097 · NGC 1097
| Chinese name | NGC 1097 |
|---|---|
| Type | Galaxy |
| Constellation | For |
| RA | 02h46m |
| Dec | −30° |
| Apparent magnitude | 9.5ᵐ |
| Hemisphere | Southern |
| Best season | Autumn |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Focal length | 长焦 1000mm+ |
About
NGC 1097 lies about 45 million light-years away in Fornax and is a spectacular barred spiral that is also a Seyfert active galaxy. Its core harbors a supermassive black hole of roughly 140 million solar masses, surrounded by a bright ring about 5,000 light-years across that is vigorously forming stars, making it a classic subject for studying nuclear star formation. It interacts with the dwarf elliptical companion NGC 1097A nearby. Deep exposures also reveal four mysterious faint optical jets made of stars extending from the nucleus. With a bar, ring, jets and a companion all present, it is a richly rewarding long-focus deep-sky target in the southern sky.