Astronomy:NGC 55

From HandWiki
NGC 55
Magellanic barred spiral galaxy NGC 55 imaged by the La Silla Observatory
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationSculptor[1]
Right ascension 00h 14m 53.6s[2]
Declination−39° 11′ 47.9″[2]
Redshift0.000437[2]
Helio radial velocity131 ± 2 km/s[2]
Distance6.5 ± 0.65 Mly
(2.00 ± 0.2 Mpc)[3][4] [a]
Apparent magnitude (V)7.87[5][6]
Characteristics
TypeSB(s)m[2]
Mass(2.0 ± 0.4) × 1010 M☉
Size~68,500 ly (20.99 kpc) (estimated)[2]
Apparent size (V)32.4′ × 5.6′[2]
Other designations
PGC 1014,[2] Caldwell 72, 2MASS J00145360-3911478, IRAS F00124-3929, ESO 293-50, MCG -07-01-013[5]

NGC 55, also known as the String of Pearls Galaxy,[7] is a Magellanic type barred spiral galaxy located about 6.5 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. It was discovered on 7 July 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.[8] Along with its neighbor NGC 300, it is one of the closest galaxies to the Local Group, probably lying between the Milky Way and the Sculptor Group.[8] It has an estimated mass of (2.0 ± 0.4) × 1010 M☉.[9]

Nearby galaxies and group information

NGC 55 and the spiral galaxy NGC 300 have traditionally been identified as members of the Sculptor Group or LGG 4[10], a nearby group of galaxies in the constellation of the same name. However, recent distance measurements indicate that the two galaxies actually lie in the foreground.[11]

It is likely that NGC 55 and NGC 300 form a gravitationally bound pair.[4]

Visual appearance

The Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook[12] writes the following about NGC 55: "Nearly edge-on and appears asymmetrical with some signs of dust near the bulge, which is diffuse, broad and somewhat elongated with the south edge sharp; southeast of the bulge it is strongly curved and lined with 4 or 5 faint knots; north edge of the curve is sharp." Burnham calls it "one of the outstanding galaxies of the southern heavens", somewhat resembling a smaller version of the Large Magellanic Cloud.[13] In September 1897, the famous New York comet hunter Lewis Swift observed the galaxy from Echo Mountain, California with a 16-inch refractor. He mistook the galaxy's faint eastern section as a new find (even though John Herschel had drawn it) and that is how it got cataloged as IC 1537.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ average(6.9 ± 0.7,[3] 7.5 ± 1.1[4]) = ((6.9 + 7.5) / 2) ± ((0.72 + 1.12)0.5 / 2) = 7.2 ± 0.7

References

  1. ↑ R. W. Sinnott, ed (1988). The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-933346-51-2. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 55. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Karachentsev, I. D.; Kashibadze, O. G. (2006). "Masses of the local group and of the M81 group estimated from distortions in the local velocity field". Astrophysics 49 (1): 3–18. doi:10.1007/s10511-006-0002-6. Bibcode: 2006Ap.....49....3K. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 van de Steene, G. C. (2006). "Distance determination to NGC 55 from the planetary nebula luminosity function". Astronomy and Astrophysics 455 (3): 891–896. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20053475. Bibcode: 2006A&A...455..891V. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "NGC 55". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=NGC+55. 
  6. ↑ Armando, Gil de Paz (2007). "The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 173 (2): 185–255. doi:10.1086/516636. Bibcode: 2007ApJS..173..185G. 
  7. ↑ Stoyan, Ronald; Schurig, Stephan (2014). interstellarum Deep Sky Atlas. Erlangen: Cambridge University Press; Oculum-Verlag GmbH. ISBN 978-1-107-50338-0. OCLC 920437579. http://www.deep-sky-atlas.com/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 50 - 99" (in en-US). http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc0a.htm#55. 
  9. ↑ Westmeier, T.; Koribalski, B. S.; Braun, R. (2013). "Gas and dark matter in the Sculptor group: NGC 55". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 434 (4): 3511–3525. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt1271. https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/434/4/3511/964482. 
  10. ↑ Garcia, A. M. (1993). "General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplement Series 100: 47–90. Bibcode: 1993A&AS..100...47G. 
  11. ↑ I. D. Karachentsev (2003). "Distances to nearby galaxies in Sculptor". Astronomy and Astrophysics 404 (1): 93–111. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030170. Bibcode: 2003A&A...404...93K. 
  12. ↑ Jones, K. G. (1981). Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook. Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-89490-134-8. https://archive.org/details/webbsocietydeeps00kenn. 
  13. ↑ Robert Burnham Jr. (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook. III. New York: Dover. p. 1733. ISBN 978-0-486-24065-7. https://archive.org/details/burnhamscelestia03burn/page/1733. 
  14. ↑ Swift, L. (1898-09-01). "Catalogue No. 11 of Nebulae". Astronomische Nachrichten 147 (13): 209–220. doi:10.1002/asna.18981471302. ISSN 0004-6337. Bibcode: 1898AN....147..209S. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1898AN....147..209S/abstract. 

Template:NGC objects: 1-1000

Coordinates: Sky map 00h 14m 53.6s, −39° 11′ 48″



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Astronomy:NGC_55&oldid=4625155"