NGC 1232
In 2013, during a stay at an astrofarm Tivoli in Namibia, I imaged the magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 1232 using a rented observatory. The pristine southern skies and stable atmospheric conditions provided excellent transparency and resolution, ideal for capturing the galaxy’s rich spiral structure.
This galaxy lies in the constellation Eridanus, at a distance of roughly 60 million light-years. It is classified as an intermediate spiral galaxy (SAB(rs)c) and is seen almost perfectly face-on. This orientation reveals an impressive system of well-defined spiral arms filled with bright star-forming regions and scattered blue stellar associations.
The galaxy is particularly striking because of its symmetrical appearance and the abundance of luminous H II regions embedded along its arms. X-ray observations have suggested evidence of a past collision with a dwarf galaxy, possibly triggering enhanced star formation across parts of the disk.
Imaging NGC 1232 under Namibia’s dark skies allowed the delicate outer arms and faint background galaxies to emerge clearly, highlighting both the grandeur of this “grand-design” spiral and the depth achievable under truly dark southern hemisphere conditions.
The data calibration and registration, as well as the final image processing, were all done with PixInsight.
The images were taken with the following equipment:
- Location: Tivoli, Namibia
- Telescope: 12″ ASA Astrograph
- Focal length [mm]: 1076
- Focal ratio: 3.6
- Mount: ASA DDM85
- Camera: FLI Microline ML8300
- Filter: L:R:G:B
- Exposure time [min]: 55:35:35:40
- Resolution: 1.04″/px
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