Astronomy:NGC 1317

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NGC 1317
The contrasting galaxies NGC 1316 and 1317
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationFornax
Right ascension 03h 38.5m[1]
Declination−35° 27′[1]
Distancefrom 17 megaparsecs (55 Mly)
to 26.9 megaparsecs (88 Mly)
Apparent magnitude (V)11.0[1]
Characteristics
TypeSBa[1]
Apparent size (V)2.8 × 2.4[1] (55,000 light-years in diameter)
Notable featuresLarge uncertain of distance
Other designations
ESO 357-23, IRAS 03208-3716, MCG -6-8-6, NGC 1318 and PGC 12653

NGC 1317 (also known as NGC 1318) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Fornax, in the Fornax Cluster. It was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on November 24, 1826.[2] It appears to be interacting with the much larger NGC 1316, but uncertainty in distance estimates and scales of tidal distortions make this uncertain. It is a member of the NGC 1316 subgroup, part of the Fornax Cluster. Its size is 2.8' x 2.4' which, at the average distance, gives a diameter of 55,000 light-years.

Distance estimates

NGC 1317's central region by HST

NGC 1317 has an uncertain distance. Based on redshift, the distance is 55.1 million light-years, but some other methods estimate a distance as large as 88.4 million light-years. The distance of this galaxy is therefore somewhere between 55 and 88 Mly, but its true distance is unknown.[3] The average distance between the two estimates is around 70 million light-years, which means NGC 1317 is also in the Fornax Cluster.

References