The Fornax Propeller

A giant barred spiral galaxy forged in the southern furnace

Image copyright: Leslie Rose

The Fornax Propeller (NGC 1365, Dunlop 562, Bennett 16) is one of only a handful of galaxies that clearly shows spiral structure in modest-sized telescopes. In binoculars it is readily visible as a delicate round glow, 3′ across, which becomes slightly brighter towards the centre.

NGC 1365 is a barred spiral galaxy of gigantic proportions, spanning some 200,000 light years, making it about twice the size of our Milky Way. Located 60 million light years away, it is the most luminous spiral in the nearby Fornax galaxy cluster.
As may be expected from the very bright nucleus, it is classified as a Seyfert galaxy with an active nucleus that presumably hosts a super-massive black hole.

Find out more about NGC 1365 at DOCdb.net, and about Leslie’s image at Astrobin.

Photographer: Leslie Rose. Equipment: Celestron C8 XLT, Atik 383L+, CGEM, Meade f/6.3 FR/FF. Exposures: 21x Luminance 300s, 12x Red 300s, 10x Green 300s, 8x Blue 300s. Location: Cederberg, South Africa. Date: 2013 December 01.