NGC 1398

Alt. Designations: NGC 1398
Object Type: barred spiral galaxy
Constellation: Fornax
Distance: 65 mly
Right Ascension: 03h 38m 52.0s
Declination: -26° 20´ 14"
Visual Magnitude: 9.8
Apparent Dimension: 7.2´ X 5.2´
Best Month To View: Nov

This barred spiral has a dense inner ring that surrounds a bright, central core. The ring is actually two spiral arms that are closed in on each other. In contrast to its well-defined center, this galaxy's arms are patchy, or flocculent. It is inclined about 43 degrees away from an edge-on orientation, and has a diameter of 135,000 light-years. NGC 1398 is 65 million light-years away in the Fornax constellation, and is part of the Fornax cluster of galaxies.