NGC 1097

In 2017, during a stay at an astrofarm Tivoli in Namibia, I imaged the magnificent barred spiral galaxy NGC 1097 using a rented observatory. The exceptionally dark southern skies provided ideal conditions for capturing both the bright inner structure and the galaxy’s faint outer extensions.

This galaxy is located in the constellation Fornax, approximately 45 million light-years away. It is classified as a barred spiral galaxy (SBb) and is particularly famous for its strong central bar and prominent ring of star formation encircling the nucleus. This circumnuclear ring is fueled by gas funneled inward along the bar, triggering intense stellar birth.

At its core, NGC 1097 hosts an active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole. Deep exposures also reveal very faint tidal features extending far beyond the main disk — evidence of past gravitational interactions, likely with its smaller companion galaxy NGC 1097A.

Under Namibia’s pristine skies, it was possible to record not only the striking bar and spiral arms, but also the delicate outer halo and subtle tidal streams, making this one of the most structurally fascinating galaxies of the southern hemisphere.

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 ML16200
• Filter: L:R:G:B
• Exposure time [min]: 180:60:60:60
• Resolution: 1.14″/px