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NGC3115 · Spindle Galaxy

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Spindle Galaxy
Credit Donald Pelletier · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chinese name纺锤星系 NGC 3115
TypeGalaxy
ConstellationSex
RA10h05m
Dec−08°
Apparent magnitude9.9ᵐ
HemisphereBoth hemispheres
Best seasonSpring
DifficultyHard
Focal length长焦 1000–2000mm

About

NGC 3115 lies about 32 million light-years away in Sextans and is an edge-on lenticular galaxy named for its tapered spindle shape. At its core lurks a supermassive black hole of roughly two billion solar masses, the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole known. Smooth and golden with sharply pointed ends, it presents an elegant symmetric spindle silhouette at long focal lengths.