NGC 1379

Lore & Background

NGC 1379 was discovered by William Herschel on December 25, 1835. It is an early-type galaxy with a Hubble classification of E0, typical of most elliptical galaxies in the Fornax Cluster. Its size on the night sky is 2.6 by 2.5 arcminutes, which corresponds to a real diameter of about 50,000 light-years at its estimated distance of 60 million light-years. The galaxy is located in the central part of the Fornax Cluster, about 24 arcminutes from the central galaxy NGC 1399. NGC 1387 is the closest galaxy to NGC 1379 and lies in its foreground.

Like other early-type galaxies, NGC 1379 is composed mostly of old, red-colored stars and exhibits very little star formation. The lack of star formation in elliptical galaxies appears to start at the center and then slowly propagates outward. NGC 1379 has a modest globular cluster population for a galaxy of its size, estimated at 225 ± 23 clusters. Both blue and red globular clusters are present, though red globulars are more numerous than blue ones. This galaxy has an almost equal number of red and blue globular clusters, a trend also seen in NGC 1374 and NGC 1387, which have only a small fraction of blue globular clusters. These globular clusters, like those in NGC 1374 and NGC 1387, do not show evidence of multiple populations.

Reader's Guide

NGC 1379 is significant as a representative low-luminosity elliptical galaxy within the Fornax Cluster, one of the nearest galaxy clusters to Earth. Its status as an early-type galaxy with an E0 classification places it among the most common galaxy types in dense cluster environments. The galaxy's globular cluster system, with an estimated 225 ± 23 clusters, provides insight into the formation and evolution of such systems in low-mass ellipticals. The nearly equal numbers of red and blue globular clusters distinguish NGC 1379 from its neighbors NGC 1374 and NGC 1387, which have only a small fraction of blue globulars. This difference may reflect variations in the galaxies' assembly histories. The lack of multiple populations among its globular clusters, also observed in NGC 1374 and NGC 1387, suggests a relatively simple formation process for these star clusters. The galaxy's location in the central part of the Fornax Cluster, close to the dominant galaxy NGC 1399 and with NGC 1387 in its foreground, makes it a useful object for studying the dynamics and interactions within the cluster core. Its old stellar population and absence of ongoing star formation, with the quenching process propagating outward from the center, exemplify the evolutionary path of elliptical galaxies in dense environments.

Did You Know?

• It is located about 24 arcminutes from the central Fornax Cluster galaxy NGC 1399.
• The galaxy has an estimated 225 ± 23 globular clusters.