NGC 1300: Barred Spiral in Eridanus

Click on image for larger version.

NGC 1300 is often touted as being the most spectacular example of a barred spiral galaxy- and for good reason, the bar in the central portion of this galaxy is larger than the diameter of our own galaxy at an incredible length of 150,000 light years across. This galaxy is approximately 75 million light years away. However, even at this remote distance astronomers have studied this galaxy intensely since it reveals information about the nature of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Measurements of the speeds at which clouds of gas (and stars) orbit the galaxy were taken in order to determine how a barred spiral galaxy develops. The Milky Way has a small bar; however, studying an external face-on barred spiral like NGC 1300 is easier than looking through the intervening gas and dust of our own galaxy towards the center. Also note the handful of background galaxies that may be 5 times as distant (or more).

Equipment

20in RC Optical Systems telescope Operating at f/8.4
Paramount ME Robotic Telescope Mount
SBIG ST10XME CCD camera with color filter wheel

L R G B color production was used to create this image.

Luminance = 120 minutes binned 1x1
Red = 20 minutes binned 2x2
Green = 20 minutes binned 2x2
Blue = 20 minutes binned 2x2

One iteration of L-R deconvolution (sharpening) algorithm using CCDsharp was applied to the luminance image.

Digital Development (DDP) via Maxim/DL was also used in order to display the the very dim and very bright details of the image simultaneously.

Minimum credit line: Nicole Bies and Esidro Hernandez/Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF

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Updated: 11/29/2003