SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Daniel Stern
Location of Photo:
Rio Hurtado, Chile
Date/Time of photo:
September 2023
Equipment:
CDK-17 / Moravian C4-16000
Description:
The data for this image was captured in late September, 2023. Just weeks before on September 9, a supernova was discovered. It’s in the arm directly above the nucleus. NGC 1097 is sometimes referred to as the Eye of Horus due to its distinctive shape. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Horus was known as the sky god and had a symbol of an eye, which was believed to represent protection, good health, and royal power. The galaxy's core and surrounding spiral arms resemble this symbol, hence the nickname. There are four very faint jets emanating from the galactic core (I was able to capture three in the image). It was thought that these were emissions from elongated streams of gas and plasma that were being ejected from the central region of the galaxy. The current thinking is that they are star streams, trails left over from the capture and disruption of a much smaller galaxy in the large spiral’s ancient past.
