Spindle Galaxy
NGC 3115
Object Data
- Catalog Designation
- C53
- Type
- Galaxy
- Constellation
- Sextans
- Magnitude
- 8.9
- Right Ascension
- 10h 05m 13.9s
- Declination
- -07° 43' 08.4"
- Distance
- 32,000,000 light-years
- Angular Size
- 8
Survey Image
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About Spindle Galaxy
Description
The Spindle Galaxy (NGC 3115) is a lenticular galaxy in Sextans, about 32 million light-years away. Seen edge-on, it has a prominent central bulge that tapers to a thin, lens-shaped disk, giving it its spindle shape.
Observing Tips
One of the brighter lenticular galaxies, visible in a 4-inch telescope as a bright, elongated smudge with a concentrated center. An 8-inch scope shows the spindle shape clearly. Best in spring evenings.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on February 22, 1787. Modern observations have detected a supermassive black hole of about 1 billion solar masses at its center — one of the nearest billion-solar-mass black holes to Earth.
Fun Facts
NGC 3115 holds the record for the nearest galaxy with a definitively measured billion-solar-mass black hole. Despite being a lenticular galaxy with little gas, faint dust rings suggest it may have accreted a small companion in the past.
Community Photos (1)
Credit: Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Alabama/K. Wong et al; Optical: ESO/VLT. License: Public domain. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026