NGC 1291 is a lenticular galaxy located about 33 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus which shows a peculiar structure, with an inner bar and an outer ring. This galaxy is in fact in an intermediate evolutionary stage, evolving from a early spiral shape with a large central region to a lenticular shape, which is the morphology assumed by most of the older galaxies.
In this long exposure image it is clearly visible how the outer ring is in reality composed by two distinct spiral arms. While the stars that populates these periferal arms are relatively young with a classic blue hue, the yellower central bulge of NGC1291 is composed by a much older stellar population and consequent lack of new star formation.
This object was recorded in the "New General Catalog" as NGC 1291 and later re-entered as NGC 1269 by John Herschel without realizing that it was a duplicate.
Takahashi CCA250 (250/f5) - ZWO 6200MM - Exposure L (600m) R (120m) G (120m) B (120m) - AMT Observatory (
A.Lau/M.Lorenzi/T.Tse), Río Hurtado, Chile. Image processing M.Lorenzi.
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