NGC 1269 - AKA NGC 1291

 RING GALAXY IN ERIDANUS (THE RIVER NILE)

(Image centered at: ra 03h:15 m / dec - 41º 17')

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December 2025, Observatorio Cielos Albertnos, Buenos Aires, Argentina

DATA

TYPE: Galaxy

APPARENT DIAMETER:  11 x 9.5 arc minutes

APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V): 9.4

DISTANCE: 33 Million light years

IMAGE INFORMATION

INSTRUMENT: Orion Optics UK 6" Newtonian with Ultra Grade Optics working at f 4.5

CAMERA: QHY 183 Mono Camera

MOUNT: VIXEN GPDX Guided off axis with QHY 5ii  Mono Camera 

FILTERS: OPTOLONG LRGB Set 

SKY CONDITIONS: Bortle 3 skies. Seeing bad.

OBJECT DESCRIPTION AND IMAGE SESSION

NGC 1269, also known as NGC 1291, is a ring galaxy with an unusual inner bar and outer ring structure located about 33 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus. It was discovered by James Dunlop in 1826 and subsequently entered into the New General Catalogue as NGC 1291 by Johan Ludvig Emil Dreyer. John Herschel then observed the same object in 1836 and entered it into the catalog as NGC 1269 without realizing that it was a duplicate.This galaxy was cited as an example of a "transitional galaxy" by NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer team in 2007.

NGC 1269 faces towards the Solar System nearly face-on. It has a prominent bulge, and is forming stars in its disk, albeit slowly, being a lenticular galaxy. Like other early-type galaxies, NGC 1269 has a population of old globular clusters. About 65% of them belong to the "blue" population that is more metal-poor, while the rest are "red" and more metal-rich. Two thin spiral arms making up the outer ring area have a blueish colouring that suggests they are relatively young and most likely have star formation occurring. As we move toward the centre, we transition towards a yellowish hue. This area comprises much older stars; most likely, star formation has stopped.

 NGC 1269 - AKA NGC 1291

 RING GALAXY IN ERIDANUS (THE RIVER NILE)

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