A Truly Grand Seyfert Galaxy, NGC 1566

This image shows NGC 1566, a beautiful galaxy located approximately 40 million light-years away in the constellation of Dorado (the Dolphinfish). NGC 1566 is an intermediate spiral galaxy, meaning that while it does not have a well-defined bar-shaped region of stars at its center — like a fully barred spiral — it is not quite a pure, unbarred spiral either. The small but extremely bright nucleus of NGC 1566 is a telltale sign of its membership of the Seyfert class of galaxies. The centers of such galaxies are very active and luminous, emitting strong bursts of radiation, and indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole many millions of times the mass of the Sun. NGC 1566 is not just any Seyfert galaxy; it is the second brightest Seyfert galaxy known. It is also the brightest and most dominant member of the Dorado Group, a loose concentration of galaxies that together comprise one of the richest galaxy groups of the southern hemisphere. This image highlights the beauty and awe-inspiring nature of this unique galaxy group, with NGC 1566’s bright nucleus framed by starbursting and symmetrical spiral arms.