NGC 1399
NGC 1399 is a large elliptical galaxy in the Southern constellation Fornax, the central galaxy in the Fornax Cluster. The galaxy is 66 million light-years away from Earth. With a diameter of 130 000 light-years, it is one of the largest galaxies in the Fornax Cluster and slightly larger than the Milky Way. William Herschel discovered this galaxy on October 22, 1835. Characteristics It is a type-cD galaxy, with a bright center and a vast, diffuse envelope surrounding it. It is also an early-type galaxy, the largest one in the Fornax Cluster. Despite their name, early-type galaxies are much older than spiral galaxies, and mostly comprise old, red-colored stars. Very little star formation occurs in these galaxies; the lack of star formation in elliptical galaxies appears to start at the center and then slowly propagates outward. Globular clusters NGC 1399 is very rich in globular clusters. The population is estimated to be between 5700 and 6500. It has been proposed that NGC 1399 has a rich system of globular clusters because NGC 1404 gave up most of its globular clusters due to gravitational interactions. The estimated angular extent, measured from the NGC 1399 centre and up to a limiting radius