NGC 7479

{{Short description|Galaxy in the constellation Pegasus}}

{{Infobox galaxy

| name = NGC 7479

| image = Caldwell 44.jpg

|caption = NGC 7479 imaged by the Wide Field Channel of Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys

| epoch = J2000

| type = SB(s)c{{cite web

| title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database

| work=Results for NGC 7479

| url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=NGC+7479&img_stamp=yes&extend=no

| access-date=2006-11-25 }}

| ra = {{RA|23|04|56.6}}

| dec = {{DEC|+12|19|22}}

| dist_ly = 105 Mly

| z = 2381 ± 1 km/s

| appmag_v = 11.6

| size_v = 4.1{{prime}} × 3.1{{prime}}

| size = 118,000 ly (36.2 kpc)

| constellation name = Pegasus

| names = {{odlist|UGC=12343|PGC=70419|name2=Caldwell 44}}

}}

NGC 7479 (also known as Caldwell 44 or the Superman Galaxy{{cite book|last=Stoyan|first=Ronald|last2=Schurig|first2=Stephan|title=interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas|publisher=Cambridge University Press; Oculum-Verlag GmbH|publication-place=Erlangen|date=2014|isbn=978-1-107-50338-0|oclc=920437579|url=http://www.deep-sky-atlas.com/}}) is a barred spiral galaxy about 105 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. William Herschel discovered it in 1784. NGC 7479 is also recognized as a Seyfert galaxy and a LINER undergoing starburst activity not only on the nucleus and the outer arms, but also across the bar of the galaxy, where most of the stars were formed in the last 100 million years.{{cite journal|last1=Zhou|first1=Zhi-Min|last2=Cao|first2=Chen|last3=Meng|first3=Xian-Min|last4=Wu|first4=Hong|title=Star formation properties in barred galaxies (SFB). I. Ultraviolet to infrared imaging and spectroscopic studies of NGC 7479|journal=The Astronomical Journal|date=1 August 2011|volume=142|issue=2|pages=38|doi=10.1088/0004-6256/142/2/38|arxiv = 1107.0187 |bibcode = 2011AJ....142...38Z |s2cid=118536887}} Polarization studies of this galaxy indicate that it recently underwent a minor merger and that it is unique in the radio continuum, with arms opening in a direction opposite to the optical arms.{{cite journal|last1=Laine|first1=Seppo|last2=Beck|first2=Rainer|title=Radio Continuum Jet in NGC 7479|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|date=20 January 2008|volume=673|issue=1|pages=128–142|doi=10.1086/523960|arxiv = 0709.4476 |bibcode = 2008ApJ...673..128L |s2cid=13368749}} This feature, along with the asymmetrical arms of the galaxy and the intense star formation activity are attributed to a merger with a smaller galaxy. This galaxy is similar in both size and morphology to the barred spiral NGC 1300.