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NGC 1097
spiral galaxy in Fornax
NGC 1097 is a barred spiral galaxy in Fornax with a bright core ringed by tight spiral arms, plus a small satellite galaxy beside it. Long faint jets are known from deep images. It sits low from mid-northern latitudes but is a fine target from the south.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 1097
- Also known as
- C 67, Caldwell 67
- Type
- spiral galaxy
- Constellation
- Fornax
- Size
- 9′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.3
- Distance
- about 45 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Nov
- Typical prime months
- Aug to Jan
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image NGC 1097
- Use 1,000 mm or more; the whole thing is about 9 arcminutes across.
- The core is bright and the arms faint, so combine short and long exposures.
- From 35 degrees north it only reaches about 25 degrees up, so choose a clear, steady night near its transit.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 1097 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 11% |
| 2,000 mm | about 22% |
| 3,000 mm | about 33% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 1097 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 5° | Stays low |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 15° | Stays low |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 25° | Stays low |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 35° | Workable |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 85° | High in the sky |
Also worth imaging
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