The Subaru Telescope, the 8.2-m flagship telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii, has taken a remarkable new picture of the galaxy NGC 7479.
This image from the Subaru Telescope shows the barred spiral galaxy NGC 7479. Image credit: Ichi Tanaka / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
NGC 7479 (also known as Caldwell 44, LEDA 70419 and UGC 12343) is a barred spiral galaxy.
It resides about 120 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus.
The galaxy was discovered by British astronomer William Herschel on October 18, 1784.
According to astronomers, NGC 7479 is undergoing starburst activity, with many bright, young stars visible in the spiral arms and disc.
Since the 1980s, two supernovae have been discovered in the galaxy: SN 1990U and SN2009jf.
NGC 7479 is also a Seyfert galaxy (only 1% of spiral galaxies are Seyferts) with an active black hole in its center.
The color image of NGC 7479 is a composite of separate exposures acquired by Subaru Telescope’s Suprime-Cam, an 80 megapixel optical camera mounted at the telescope’s prime focus. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths.
“Suprime-Cam’s wide-field imaging capability — 200 times larger than that of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope — coupled with sensitive CCD detectors, Subaru’s large mirror, and superb weather conditions on Maunakea, gave Suprime-Cam unique imaging power,” said Hosei University Professor Sadanori Okamura, a key figure in the development of the Suprime-Cam.
“The high-quality imaging data was the ‘Final Light’ that the camera captured, and it will create opportunities for even more study.”
