Astronomy:NGC 3079
| NGC 3079 | |
|---|---|
NGC 3079 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Right ascension | 10h 01m 57.9268s[1] |
| Declination | +55° 40′ 46.926″[1] |
| Redshift | 1116 ± 1 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 50 Mly[2] |
| Group or cluster | NGC 3079 Group (LGG 188) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.5[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(s)c[1] |
| Size | ~135,600 ly (41.58 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 7.9′ × 1.4′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| HOLM 156A, IRAS 09585+5555, UGC 5387, PGC 29050[1] | |
NGC 3079 is a barred spiral galaxy about 50 million light-years away, and located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 1 April 1790.[3]
The SIMBAD database lists NGC 3079 as a Seyfert II Galaxy, i.e. it has a quasar-like nucleus with very high surface brightnesses whose spectra reveal strong, high-ionisation emission lines, but unlike quasars, the host galaxy is clearly detectable.[4]
Center Bubble

A prominent feature of this galaxy is the "bubble" forming in the very center (see image to left). The supermassive black hole at the core has a mass of 2.4+2.4
−1.2×106 M☉.[5]
The bubble forming in the center of NGC 3079 is believed to be about 3000 light-years wide and to rise more than 3500 light-years above the disc of the galaxy. It is speculated that the bubble is being formed by particles streaming at high speeds, which were in turn caused by a large burst of star formation. This current bubble is thought to have been created about one million years ago, and computer modeling suggests that there is an ongoing cycle of forming bubbles, with a new bubble forming approximately every 10 million years.[6]
NGC 3079 Group
NGC 3079 is the namesake of the NGC 3079 Group (also known as LGG 188), which contains six galaxies.[7] The other galaxies in the group are NGC 3073, UGC 5421, UGC 5479, UGC 5459, and UGC 5460.[8] The galaxies NGC 3073 and NGC 3079 are also listed together as Holm 156 in Erik Holmberg's A Study of Double and Multiple Galaxies Together with Inquiries into some General Metagalactic Problems, published in 1937.[9]
Supernovae
Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 3079:
- SN 2001ci (type Ic, mag. 18.3) was discovered by LOTOSS (Lick Observatory and Tenagra Observatory Supernova Searches) on 17 April 2001.[10][11]
- SN 2013ee (type II, mag. 15.5) was discovered by Giancarlo Cortini on 13 July 2013.[12][13]
Image gallery
-
NGC 3079 imaged by Kitt Peak National Observatory, 13 March 2014
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Results for object NGC 3079". NASA and Caltech. https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/byname?objname=NGC+3079.
- ↑ "Burst of Star Formation Drives Bubble in Galaxy's Core - Fast Facts". https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2001/news-2001-28.html.
- ↑ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 3079". https://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc30a.htm#3079.
- ↑ "NGC 3079". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=NGC+3079.
- ↑ Graham, Alister W. (November 2008), "Populating the Galaxy Velocity Dispersion - Supermassive Black Hole Mass Diagram: A Catalogue of (Mbh, σ) Values", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia 25 (4): 167–175, doi:10.1071/AS08013, Bibcode: 2008PASA...25..167G.
- ↑ Cecil, Gerald; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss; Veilleux, Sylvain; Filippenko, Alexei V. (2001). "Jet- and Wind-driven Ionized Outflows in the Superbubble and Star-forming Disk of NGC 3079". The Astrophysical Journal 555 (1): 338. doi:10.1086/321481. Bibcode: 2001ApJ...555..338C.
- ↑ Shafi, N.; Oosterloo, T. A.; Morganti, R.; Colafrancesco, S.; Booth, R. (2015-12-01). "The "shook up" galaxy NGC 3079: the complex interplay between HI, activity and environment". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 454 (2): 1404–1415. doi:10.1093/mnras/stv2034. Bibcode: 2015MNRAS.454.1404S.
- ↑ Garcia, A. M. (1993). "General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 100: 47. Bibcode: 1993A&AS..100...47G.
- ↑ Holmberg, Erik (1937). "A Study of Double and Multiple Galaxies Together with Inquiries into some General Metagalactic Problems". Annals of the Observatory of Lund 6: 1. Bibcode: 1937AnLun...6....1H.
- ↑ Filippenko, A. V.; Chornock, R. (2001). "Supernova 2001ci in NGC 3079". International Astronomical Union Circular (7638): 1. Bibcode: 2001IAUC.7638....1F. http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07600/07638.html#Item1.
- ↑ "SN 2001ci". IAU. https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2001ci.
- ↑ Cortini, G.; Brimacombe, J.; Tomasella, L.; Ochner, P.; Pastorello, A.; Benetti, S.; Cappellaro, E.; Turatto, M. et al. (2013). "Supernova 2013ee in NGC 3079 = PSN J10015683+5541440". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams (3597): 1. Bibcode: 2013CBET.3597....1C.
- ↑ "SN 2013ee". IAU. https://www.wis-tns.org/object/2013ee.
External links
- HST: Burst of Star Formation Drives Bubble in Galaxy's Core
- Superwind Sculpts Filamentary Features - Chandra X-ray Observatory
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: The Bubbling Cauldron of NGC 3079 (22 August 2001)
