\documentstyle[11pt]{article} \begin{document} SURFACE VRI- PHOTOMETRY AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE "DUSTY" GALAXY NGC 972, by A.V. Zasov, A.C.Moiseev. The results of CCD- photometry in the VRI-bands for the spiral galaxy NGC 972, obtained at 1m Zeiss reflector of Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia) are presented. A "classical" spiral pattern is absent in this galaxy, but it is rather gas-rich, and its inner region reveals numerous dark lanes possibly related to the perturbed dust layer. Radial brigtness profile may be described as the sum of the outer and the inner exponential disks differed by their scale lengths, and the small áompact bulge. Color distribution in the inner part of the galaxy is very non-homogeneous and asymmetric. To analyse color differences we propose to use the combined color index $Q_{VRI}$, which is not affected by the selective absorption. The map of distribution of $Q_{VRI}$ shows the presence of "blue" (in sence of low $Q_{VRI}$) nucleus and rather "red" inner disk with radius $R\sim 3 kpc$. It is argued that the main mechanism which determines the value of $Q_{VRI}$ is the presence of sites of star formation which takes place in the nucleus and the inner disk. Long slit spectral observations published earlier are used to construct the mass model of this galaxy. The galaxy posesses relatively massive dark halo dominated over the disk at $R > 5 kpc$. \end{document}