NGC 7479 - Galaxy
The barred spiral NGC 7479 of Hubble Type SB(s)c is located at a distance of about 110 million light years in the constellation Pegasus and is
best observed in autumn. The apparent magnitude is 11.6mag with a size of 4x3'.
The morphology of this galaxy is quite interesting, because NGC 7479 is not only counted to the starburst galaxies but also to the Seyfert-2
galaxies. The latter are characterized by a very bright galactic core. Broad emission lines of hydrogen, helium and other elements can be found
here, but they are not stimulated by stars. The phenomenon is explained by the infall of gas towards a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the
center. Because the activity can change within short time scales, the region where these events occur is limited to a diameter of less than one light
year.
Two supernovae have been observed in the spiral arms of NGC 7479 so far, one in 1990, the second one in 2009. The shape of the arms suggest
a collision with a small galaxy.
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Observing NGC 7479 with a 20" telescope is quite interesting. The galaxy itself is quite bright and the core region appears elongated (bar) with a
roundish center. However, the brightness of the central region is not as pronounced as one might expect from other Seyfert galaxies.
The south departing spiral arm winds around a faint star and can be traced over a large distance. The second spiral arm is unfortunately only
slightly indicated and appears only at higher magnifications and averted vision. However, the conditions were not very good this night.
