NGC 1232 is an intermediate spiral galaxy
about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Eridanus.
It is dominated by millions of bright stars and dark dust, in
spiral arms rotating about the center. Open clusters containing
bright blue stars are sprinkled along these spiral arms, with
dark lanes of dense interstellar dust between. Less visible are
dim normal stars and interstellar gas, producing such high mass
that they dominate the dynamics of the inner galaxy. Not visible
is matter of unknown form called dark matter, needed to explain
the motions of the visible material in the outer galaxy. NGC
1232 and its satellite are part of the Eridanus cluster of
galaxies, along with NGC 1300.
