| NGC 1317 | |
|---|---|
 The contrasting galaxies NGC 1316 and 1317 | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Right ascension | 03h 38.5m[1] |
| Declination | −35° 27′[1] |
| Distance | from 17 megaparsecs (55 Mly) to 26.9 megaparsecs (88 Mly) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.0[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SBa[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.8′ × 2.4′[1] (55,000 light-years in diameter) |
| Notable features | Large uncertain of distance |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 357-23, IRAS 03208-3716, MCG -6-8-6, NGC 1318 and PGC 12653 | |
NGC 1317 (also known asNGC 1318) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellationFornax, in theFornax Cluster. It was discovered by Scottish astronomerJames Dunlop on November 24, 1826.[2] It appears to be interacting with the much largerNGC 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 theFornax Cluster. Its size is 2.8' x 2.4' which, at the average distance, gives a diameter of 55,000 light-years.
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 millionlight-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 theFornax Cluster.
Media related toNGC 1317 at Wikimedia Commons