NGC 1311


NGC 1311 is a nearby late-type barred spiral galaxy, occasionally described as a dwarf irregular or emission-line galaxy, and a potential weak Seyfert 2 active galaxy candidate located in the Horologium constellation. It was discovered by John Herschel in 1837.

IC 1954 Group

NGC 1311 is a part of the IC 1954 galaxy group, a small assembly of nearby galaxies in Horologium and surrounding regions. The group includes:
NGC 1311’s structure is characteristic of a Magellanic barred spiral, with a weak bar and loosely wound spiral arms. Its star formation occurs in bursts, with 13 identified candidate star clusters showing ages clustered around 10 Myr, 100 Myr, and >1 Gyr. The galaxy’s isolation and low mass contribute to its distinct star-forming behavior, following the luminosity-metallicity relation typical of late-type dwarf galaxies.
The Hubble Space Telescope revealed a population of star clusters with masses ranging from ~10³ to ~105 solar masses, with more massive clusters generally being older. Star formation is concentrated in two regions, each ~200 parsecs in size, at the east and west ends of a central bar-like structure. These regions host hot main-sequence stars and blue supergiants, with roughly half of the young stellar population located there.