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NGC 1297 is slightly oval north-south,
a bit more than 1v tall, and intensifies
toward the centre.
Climbing 2.6° west-northwest from
Tau^4 takes us to the lovely spiral galaxy
NGC 1232 and its dwarf satellite NGC
1232A. Although they are not currently
interacting, past encounters may be
responsible for the odd bends in the
larger galaxy’s spiral arms.
NGC 1232 is easily noticed through
my 130-mm refractor at 23=. It proffers
a sizable round glow with a tiny, slightly
brighter core nestled in its centre. At
a spiral swirl at the centre of the bar, a
feature only seen in galaxies with large
bars. It’s thought that gas flows inward
along the bar and then whirls into the
galaxy’s centre.
NGC 1300’s structure is considerably
more subtle when viewed through a
telescope. Look for the galaxy 2.3°
north of Tau^4 (o^4 ) Eridani, accompanied
by NGC 1297 just 20v to its north-
northwest. Through the 130-mm scope
at 30=, NGC 1297 presents only a
small, dim spot, whereas NGC 1300 is
an appreciably larger, bright, oval glow.
A magnification of 74= plucks out a
faint star at the northern edge of NGC
1297, and NGC 1300’s halo leans east-
southeast and mantles a small, bright
core. On a particularly nice night, I was
able to spot NGC 1300’s bar at 117=.
The 25-cm scope at 118= begins to
show the true nature of NGC 1300. The
galaxy’s core is lens-shaped and holds a
brighter point at its centre. Arms unfurl
counter-clockwise from the ends of
the 3v-long bar. They start out relatively
bright but then quickly fade. The western
arm curves around to the north, fading
into the general glow just before it would
pass above the near end of the galactic
core. The opposed arm is even shorter.
3 h^20 m 3 h^15 m 3 h^10 m 3 h^05 m 3 h^00 m
–24°
–22°
–20°
1297
1232A
o^3
o^4
4
15
1187
1232
1300
1325
ERIDANUS
Star magnitudes
6
5
4
7
8
9
10
XThe galaxy NGC 1300 sports a prominent
bar at its centre, out of which extend its spiral
arms. Look for the bright core cloaked in an
east-southeast slanting halo through your
telescope’s eyepiece.
4 h^20 m 4 h^15 m 4 h^10 m
–30°
–32°
–34°
1531
p^4
1532
1537
ERIDANUS
Star magnitudes
6
5
4
7
8
9
10
NASA / ESA / HUBBLE HERITAGE TEAM (STSCI / AURA)