| NGC 1300 | |
|---|---|
| NGC 1300 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Right ascension | 03h 19m 41.0253s (49.920939) [1] |
| Declination | −19° 24′ 40.149″ (-19.411153) [1] |
| Redshift | 0.005260 (1577 ± 4 km/s) [1] |
| Distance | 61.3 Mly (18.8 Mpc) [2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.4 [1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R')SB(s)bc [1] |
| Size | 110,000 light years in diameter |
| Apparent size (V) | 6.2′ × 4.1′ [1] |
| Notable features | Huge bar-shaped core and two spiral arms |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 547 -G 31, IRAS 03174-1935, UGCA 66, MCG -03-09-018, PGC 12412 [1] | |
NGC 1300 is a barred spiral galaxy located about 65 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus. The galaxy is about 110,000 light-years across. It is a member of the Eridanus Cluster, a cluster of 200 galaxies, [3] [4] [5] in a subgroup of 2-4 galaxies in the cluster known as the NGC 1300 Group. [6] [7] [8] It was discovered by John Herschel in 1835. [9]
In the core of the larger spiral structure of NGC 1300, the nucleus shows a "grand-design" spiral structure that is about 3,300 light-years long. Only galaxies with large-scale bars appear to have these grand-design inner disks — a spiral within a spiral. Models suggest that the gas in a bar can be funneled inwards, and then spiral into the center through the grand-design disk, where it can potentially fuel a central supermassive black hole (SMBH). NGC 1300 is not known to have an active nucleus, indicating that its central black hole is not accreting matter. The SMBH has a mass of 7.3+6.9
−3.5×107 M☉ . [10] [11]
One supernova has been observed in NGC 1300: SN 2022acko (type IIP, mag. 15.8). [12] [13]