| NGC 1376 | |
|---|---|
 AHubble Space Telescope (HST) image of NGC 1376 | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Right ascension | 03h 37m 05.80s[1] |
| Declination | −05° 02′ 36″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.013873±0.00003[1] |
| Distance | 180Mly (55.1 Mpc)[2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.1[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA(s)cd[1] |
| Size | 71,000 ly |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.95 x 1.82[3] |
| Notable features | Older stars near core |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS 03346-0512,[1] MCG-01-10-011,[1] PGC 13352,[1] GSC 04722-00875[1] | |
NGC 1376 is aspiral galaxy located around 180 millionlight-years away in theconstellation Eridanus.[1] It was discovered in 1785 byWilliam Herschel, and it is 79,000 light-years across.[1] NGC 1376 is not known to have anactive galactic nuclei, but it does have lots ofstar-forming regions.[2][3]
Concentrated along thespiral arms of NGC 1376, bright blue knots of gas highlight areas of active star formation.[4] These regions show an excess of light atultraviolet (UV) wavelengths because they contain brilliant clusters of hot,newborn stars that are emitting UV light.[2] The less intense, red areas near the core and between the arms consist mainly of older stars.[4][2] The reddish dust lanes delineate cooler, denser regions whereinterstellar clouds collapse to form new stars.[1] Behind the spiral arms is a sprinkling of reddish background galaxies.[2]
NGC 1376 belongs to a class of spirals that are seen nearly face on from our line of sight.[1] Itsorientation aids astronomers in studying details and features of the galaxy from a relatively unobscured vantage point.[2]
NGC 1376 is home to asupernova (SN 1990go)[2] that rivaled the brightness of the entire nucleus (as seen fromground-based telescopes) for several weeks. This was observed in 1990.[2][3]
Media related toNGC 1376 at Wikimedia Commons
