NGC 1453 in Eridanus

December 2025 - Galaxy of the Month

This interactive image of the galaxy NGC 1453 in Eridanus was provided by the Pan-STARRS1 Surveys using Aladin Sky Atlas. We also have a finder chart should help you locate this galaxy, as will this link for NGC 1453 on the Stellarium Web planetarium.

As we move into the winter season galaxies get more challenging to find but luckily Eridanus sports a number that are bright enough for average amateur telescopes. I know I have covered a number of these objects in Eridanus before.

My choice this month is the bright elliptical galaxy NGC 1453. Discovered by Wiliam Herschel in 1786 it is the brightest of a small group of galaxies that also includes NGC 1441, NGC 1449 and NGC 1451, Herschel found NGC 1441 but the other two were found by d’Arrest in 1864 using an 11” refractor at Copenhagen. William Herschel may also have seen them but he was uncertain so did not add them to his list.

NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) suggests that all these galaxies are associated as part of the galaxy cluster LGG 103. The cluster here contains 14 galaxies and is spread over 1.3 degrees on the sky. The other part of the group appears to be centred around the spiral galaxy NGC 1417.

NGC 1453 itself is classified as E2-E3 and with a weak AGN of the LINER type. It appears to contain a central supermassive black hole of perhaps 3 billion solar masses. The group is suspected to lie at about 166 million light-years from the earth. NGC 1453 was one of 63 galaxies used in the MASSIVE survey to try and recalibrate the local Hubble flow.

Of the galaxies surrounding NGC 1453, NGC 1449 and NGC 1451 are probably lenticulars whereas NGC 1441 is a barred spiral seen edge on. Historically there are a number of NGC objects in this field that were discovered by Tempel but that are just stars including NGC 1443 and NGC 1446.

NGC 1453 rises about as high as Rigel as seen from the UK so it is going to be challenging to see much detail and as with all of these galaxies will be best seen within an hour or so of its meridian crossing, particularly if you want to see the fainter companions. All four of the galaxies here will fit in the same field of view when using a modern hyperwide eyepiece at high (350x) power, and this may be best when trying to see the companions.

Perhaps as expected NGC 1453 does not make either of the Astronomical League’s main Herschel lists but is included in the Herschel 3 list of mostly faint galaxies. NGC 1453 does have a very bright core which should be obvious in smaller telescopes. The The Night Sky Observer's Guide (NSOG) Vol. 1 does cover NGC 1453 but makes no mention of the fainter companions. Steve Gottlieb found the companions to be faint in 13.1” and still faint in 24”.

Owen Brazell - Galaxy Section Director

If you'd like to try out the Clear Skies Observing Guides (CSOG), you can download observing guide for the current Galaxy of the Month without the need to register. CSOG are not associated with the Webb Deep-Sky Society but the work of Victor van Wulfen.