This impressive barred spiral galaxy of Hubble type SBbc is located in the constellation Eridanus in the southern sky. Its center features a remarkable spiral structure with a diameter of about one kiloparsec. NGC 1300 is estimated to be 67 million light-years away from our Milky Way and spans a diameter of approximately 125,000 light-years. Together with the galaxies NGC 1297, PGC 12680, and PGC 12701, it forms the NGC 1300 group and is also a member of the Eridanus cluster.
This distant object was discovered as early as December 11, 1835, by the British astronomer John Herschel. More recently, the galaxy gained attention again when the supernova SN 2022acko was observed there—a testament to the dynamic processes in the vastness of spacetime.
This image was released by NASA on 2026-03-21: