View source for Astronomy:NGC 5846

{{Short description|Galaxy in the constellation Virgo}}
{{Infobox galaxy
| name = [[Astronomy:New General Catalogue|NGC]] 5846
| image = NGC5850 Galaxy from the Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Schulman Telescope courtesy Adam Block.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = NGC 5846 (right) and NGC 5850 (left) by the Schulman Telescope at [[Astronomy:Mount Lemmon Observatory|Mount Lemmon SkyCenter]]
| credit =  Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona
| epoch = [[Astronomy:J2000|J2000]]
| type = E0-1 <ref name="ned">{{cite web
  | title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
  | work=Results for NGC 5846
  | url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=NGC+5846
  | access-date=2016-01-18 }}</ref>
| ra = {{RA|15|06|29.3}}<ref name="ned" />
| dec = {{DEC|+01|36|20}}<ref name="ned" />
| dist_ly = 93 ± 32 [[Astronomy:Light-year|Mly]] (28.5 ± 9.8 [[Astronomy:Parsec|Mpc]])<ref name="ned" />
| z = 0.005711 ± 0.000017  <ref name="ned" />
| h_radial_v = 1,712 ± 5 km/[[Second|s]]<ref name="ned" />
| appmag_v = 10.1 <ref name=seds>{{cite web |title=Revised NGC Data for NGC 5846 |url=http://spider.seds.org/ngc/revngcic.cgi?NGC5846 |website=spider.seds.org |access-date=25 November 2018}}</ref>
| size_v = 4′.1 × 3′.8
| constellation name = [[Astronomy:Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]]
| notes = Strong [[Physics:X-ray|X-ray]] source
| names = [[Astronomy:Uppsala General Catalogue|UGC]] 9706, [[Astronomy:Catalogue of Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies|CGCG]] 020-061, [[Astronomy:Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies|MCG]] +00-38-025, [[Astronomy:Principal Galaxies Catalogue|PGC]] 53932<ref name="ned" />
}}
'''NGC 5846''' is an [[Astronomy:Elliptical galaxy|elliptical galaxy]] located in the constellation [[Astronomy:Virgo (constellation)|Virgo]]. It is located at a distance of circa 90 million [[Light year|light year]]s from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5846 is about 110,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on February 24, 1786.<ref name="Seligman">{{cite web |last1=Seligman |first1=Courtney |title=NGC 5846 (= PGC 42734) |url=https://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc58.htm#5846 |website=Celestial Atlas |access-date=19 November 2018}}</ref> It lies near [[Astronomy:110 Virginis|110 Virginis]] and is part of the [[Astronomy:Herschel 400 Catalogue|Herschel 400 Catalogue]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Meara |first1=Steve |title=Herschel 400 Observing Guide |date=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521858939 |page=205 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Nyh9fAC_tpIC&pg=PA205 |language=en}}</ref> It is a member of the NGC 5846 Group of galaxies, itself one of the [[Astronomy:Virgo III Groups|Virgo III Groups]] strung out to the east of the [[Astronomy:Virgo Supercluster|Virgo Supercluster]] of galaxies.<ref name="atlas universe">{{cite web | title=The Virgo III Groups |work=Atlas of the Universe |url=http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/viriii.html |access-date=2010-11-27 }}</ref>

== Characteristics ==
NGC 5846 is a giant elliptical galaxy with a round shape. It has a low luminosity [[Active galactic nucleus|active galactic nucleus]], whose categorisation is ambiguous, having  features that are observed both in LINER and HII regions.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ho |first1=Luis C. |last2=Filippenko |first2=Alexei V. |last3=Sargent |first3=Wallace L. W. |last4=Peng |first4=Chien Y. |title=A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. IV. Nuclei with Broad Hα Emission |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |date=October 1997 |volume=112 |issue=2 |pages=391–414 |doi=10.1086/313042|arxiv=astro-ph/9704099 |bibcode=1997ApJS..112..391H |s2cid=15256980 }}</ref> The source of nuclear activity in galaxies is suggested to be a [[Astronomy:Supermassive black hole|supermassive black hole]] that accretes material. NGC 5846 harbors a supermassive black hole with estimated mass {{val|1.1|0.1|e=9|ul=M_solar}} based on the central [[Astronomy:Velocity dispersion|velocity dispersion]].<ref name="Machacek11">{{cite journal |last1=Machacek |first1=Marie E. |last2=Jerius |first2=Diab |last3=Kraft |first3=Ralph |last4=Forman |first4=William R. |last5=Jones |first5=Christine |last6=Randall |first6=Scott |last7=Giacintucci |first7=Simona |last8=Sun |first8=Ming |title=Deep Chandra Observations of Edges and Bubbles in the NGC 5846 Galaxy Group |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=10 December 2011 |volume=743 |issue=1 |pages=15 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/743/1/15|bibcode=2011ApJ...743...15M |arxiv=1108.5229 |s2cid=119239475 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hu |first1=Jian |title=The black hole mass–stellar velocity dispersion correlation: bulges versus pseudo-bulges |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=June 2008 |volume=386 |issue=4 |pages=2242–2252 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13195.x|bibcode=2008MNRAS.386.2242H |arxiv=0801.1481 |s2cid=10910326 }}</ref>

NGC 5846 harbors a large number of [[Astronomy:Globular cluster|globular cluster]]s; over 1,200 have been detected in images by [[Astronomy:Hubble Space Telescope|Hubble Space Telescope]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Forbes |first1=Duncan A. |last2=Brodie |first2=Jean P. |last3=Huchra |first3=John |title=Globular Cluster Luminosity Functions and the Hubble Constant from WFPC2 Imaging: The Dominant Group Elliptical NGC 5846 |journal=The Astronomical Journal |date=December 1996 |volume=112 |pages=2448 |doi=10.1086/118194|bibcode=1996AJ....112.2448F |arxiv=astro-ph/9611141 |s2cid=14646588 }}</ref> The specific frequency is similar to other elliptical galaxies in groups. As has been observed in other large elliptical galaxies, the [[Astronomy:Metallicity|metallicity]] has bimodial distribution, with metallicities roughly of [Fe/H]=-1.2 and -0.2.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Forbes |first1=Duncan A. |last2=Brodie |first2=Jean P. |last3=Huchra |first3=John |title=Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Globular Cluster System Around NGC 5846 |journal=The Astronomical Journal |date=March 1997 |volume=113 |pages=887 |doi=10.1086/118308|bibcode=1997AJ....113..887F |arxiv=astro-ph/9612172 |s2cid=119028977 }}</ref> Their typical effective radii are in the range of 3 - 5 pc, with the largest clusters located in the central regions. Seven of the globular clusters have X-ray counterparts, which are among the most luminous X-ray sources in NGC 5846. These clusters are mostly in the central region and they are optically luminous, compact and belong to the red subpopulation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chies-Santos |first1=A. L. |last2=Pastoriza |first2=M. G. |last3=Santiago |first3=B. X. |last4=Forbes |first4=D. A. |title=The globular cluster system of NGC 5846 revisited: colours, sizes and X-ray counterparts |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |date=4 August 2006 |volume=455 |issue=2 |pages=453–459 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20054212|bibcode=2006A&A...455..453C |arxiv=astro-ph/0604499 |s2cid=14591501 }}</ref>
[[File:Chandra image of NGC 5846 with Hα+Nii contours.jpg|thumb|[[Astronomy:Chandra X-ray Observatory|Chandra]] image of NGC 5846 with superimposed contours of Hα+[N ii] emission. White crosses mark the detected CO cloud positions.<ref name="Terni2018"/>]]
The galaxy has complex X-ray morphology<ref name=Trinchieri02>{{cite journal |last1=Trinchieri |first1=G. |last2=Goudfrooij |first2=P. |title=The peculiar small-scale X-ray morphology of NGC 5846 observed with Chandra |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |date=15 May 2002 |volume=386 |issue=2 |pages=472–486 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20020311|bibcode=2002A&A...386..472T |arxiv=astro-ph/0202416 |s2cid=14880250 }}</ref> that is considered to be the result of AGN outflows. Two inner bubbles in the hot gas, at a distance of 600 pc from the center and filled with radio emission, are clear indications of recent AGN feedback. A weak radio source, elongated in the NE–SW direction, connects the inner cavities. X-ray-bright rims surround the inner X-ray bubbles.<ref name="Machacek11"/> Many X-ray knots are visible, suggesting cooling sites. The scenario indicated by the Chandra observation is that of an AGN outflow, compressing and cooling the gas<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brighenti |first1=Fabrizio |title=Hot Gaseous Atmospheres in Galaxy Groups and Clusters Are Both Heated and Cooled by X-Ray Cavities |last2=Mathews |first2=William G. |last3=Temi |first3=Pasquale |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=1 April 2015 |volume=802 |issue=2 |pages=118 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/802/2/118|bibcode=2015ApJ...802..118B |arxiv=1501.07647 |s2cid=119183888 }}</ref> in the central ~2 kpc (20" at the distance of NGC 5846).<ref name="Terni2018">{{cite journal |last1=Temi |first1=Pasquale |last2=Amblard |first2=Alexandre |last3=Gitti |first3=Myriam |last4=Brighenti |first4=Fabrizio |last5=Gaspari |first5=Massimo |last6=Mathews |first6=William G. |last7=David |first7=Laurence |title=ALMA Observations of Molecular Clouds in Three Group-centered Elliptical Galaxies: NGC 5846, NGC 4636, and NGC 5044 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=27 April 2018 |volume=858 |issue=1 |pages=17 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aab9b0|bibcode=2018ApJ...858...17T |arxiv=1711.10630 |s2cid=54062372 |doi-access=free }}  [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)] license.</ref>

[[Physics:H-alpha|Hα]] observations<ref name=Trinchieri02/><ref name=Caon00>{{cite journal |last1=Caon |first1=Nicola |last2=Macchetto |first2=Duccio |last3=Pastoriza |first3=Miriani |title=A Survey of the Interstellar Medium in Early‐Type Galaxies. III. Stellar and Gas Kinematics |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |date=March 2000 |volume=127 |issue=1 |pages=39–58 |doi=10.1086/313315|bibcode=2000ApJS..127...39C |hdl=10183/109051 |s2cid=53492991 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name=Werner14>{{cite journal |last1=Werner |first1=N. |last2=Oonk |first2=J. B. R. |last3=Sun |first3=M. |last4=Nulsen |first4=P. E. J. |last5=Allen |first5=S. W. |last6=Canning |first6=R. E. A. |last7=Simionescu |first7=A. |last8=Hoffer |first8=A. |last9=Connor |first9=T. |last10=Donahue |first10=M. |last11=Edge |first11=A. C. |last12=Fabian |first12=A. C. |last13=von der Linden |first13=A. |last14=Reynolds |first14=C. S. |last15=Ruszkowski |first15=M. |title=The origin of cold gas in giant elliptical galaxies and its role in fuelling radio-mode AGN feedback |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=11 April 2014 |volume=439 |issue=3 |pages=2291–2306 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stu006|bibcode=2014MNRAS.439.2291W |arxiv=1310.5450 |s2cid=53953986 }}</ref> reveal the presence of warm ionized gas in the inner 2 kpc of NGC 5846. Spectra of this gas indicate irregular motion, with a typical velocity of 150–200 km s−1. The warm gas traces the X-ray-bright features, again suggesting a multiphase AGN outflow.<ref name="Terni2018"/> Using the [[Astronomy:Spitzer Space Telescope|Spitzer IRS]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rampazzo |first1=R. |last2=Panuzzo |first2=P. |last3=Vega |first3=O. |last4=Marino |first4=A. |last5=Bressan |first5=A. |last6=Clemens |first6=M. S. |title=A Spitzer–IRS spectroscopic atlas of early-type galaxies in the Revised Shapley–Ames Catalog |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=11 June 2013 |volume=432 |issue=1 |pages=374–403 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stt475|arxiv=1303.4584 |bibcode=2013MNRAS.432..374R |s2cid=119266149 }}</ref>  mid-[[Physics:Infrared|infrared]] lines were detected (e.g., [Ne ii] 12.81 μm, [Ne iii] 15.55 μm) but no trace of [[Astronomy:Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon|polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon]] (PAH) emission. Several sources are identified in the radio at 2.3, 5, and 15 GHz using VLBA data; these sources are aligned in the south–north direction.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Filho |first1=M. E. |last2=Fraternali |first2=F. |last3=Markoff |first3=S. |last4=Nagar |first4=N. M. |last5=Barthel |first5=P. D. |last6=Ho |first6=L. C. |last7=Yuan |first7=F. |title=Further clues to the nature of composite LINER/H II galaxies |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |date=9 April 2004 |volume=418 |issue=2 |pages=429–443 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20034486|bibcode=2004A&A...418..429F |arxiv=astro-ph/0401593 |s2cid=21486526 }}</ref>

Recent Herschel PACS observations have detected the presence of [C ii]-emitting gas that extends to a radius of ~2 kpc and is centrally peaked. The [C ii] emission is almost exactly cospatial with the H-alpha +[N II] emission, and the total fluxes in [C ii] and H-alpha +[N II] have a ratio of 2.5, a very similar flux ratio value observed in other group-centered ellipticals.<ref name=Werner14/> Furthermore, the velocities inferred from the [C ii] line are consistent with those measured for the Hα line.<ref name=Caon00/> All of this evidence suggests that the [C ii] line is emitted by the warm gas, and it is not necessarily tracing the molecular phase.<ref name="Terni2018"/>

NGC 5846 has another indication that the cold gas is being disturbed by an AGN outburst. It has, in fact, an excess of cold (T ~ 30 K) dust approximately cospatial with the ionized and molecular gas. With a 70 μm luminosity of 3.5 × 10<sup>41</sup> erg s−1,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mathews |first1=William G. |title=Variations of Mid- and Far-Infrared Luminosities Among Early-Type Galaxies: Relation to Stellar Metallicity and Cold Dust |last2=Temi |first2=Pasquale |last3=Brighenti |first3=Fabrizio |last4=Amblard |first4=Alexandre |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=11 April 2013 |volume=768 |issue=1 |pages=28 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/768/1/28|bibcode=2013ApJ...768...28M |arxiv=1303.3350 |s2cid=118646459 }}</ref> NGC 5846 shares the same dust properties as several giant ellipticals (e.g., [[Astronomy:NGC 4636|NGC 4636]] and NGC 5044<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Temi |first1=Pasquale |last2=Brighenti |first2=Fabrizio |last3=Mathews |first3=William G. |title=Spitzer Observations of Transient, Extended Dust in Two Elliptical Galaxies: New Evidence of Recent Feedback Energy Release in Galactic Cores |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=September 2007 |volume=666 |issue=1 |pages=222–230 |doi=10.1086/520123|bibcode=2007ApJ...666..222T |arxiv=0705.3710 |s2cid=14440363 }}</ref>), which are best explained with the ejection of dusty gas from their centers by AGN activity that occurred ~10<sup>7</sup> yr ago.<ref name="Terni2018"/>

Three [[Astronomy:Molecular cloud|CO clouds]] have been detected in NGC 5846. Clouds 1 and 3 are resolved in at least one direction by [[Astronomy:Atacama Large Millimeter Array|ALMA]] 12 m array observations and extend to 1"2 and 2"9, respectively, and are about 5"5 and 8"4 away (0.6 and 1.0 kpc) from the galaxy center, respectively. Cloud 3 is aligned almost exactly along a dust filament, while cloud 1 also coincides with small dust extinction structures. The elongation and potential bimodality of the surface brightness of cloud 3 of NGC 5846 could indicate that it might be composed of two nearby (in projection) clouds. Cloud 2 lies further away from the centre and is thought to originate from cooling in the wakes beneath buoyant X-ray cavities where compressions stimulate significant large-scale, coherent radiative cooling.<ref name="Terni2018"/>

== Nearby galaxies ==
NGC 5846 forms a non-interacting pair with NGC 5846A, which lies 0.7 arcminutes from NGC 5846.<ref name=Carnegie>Sandage, A., Bedke, J. (1994), ''The Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Volume I'', Carnegie Institution of Washington</ref> Its proximity to NGC 5846 and high surface brightness suggests it has been [[Physics:Tidal force|tidally stripped]].<ref name="Mahdavi05">{{cite journal |last1=Mahdavi |first1=Andisheh |last2=Trentham |first2=Neil |last3=Tully |first3=R. Brent |title=The NGC 5846 Group: Dynamics and the Luminosity Function to MR <nowiki>=</nowiki> -12 |journal=The Astronomical Journal |date=October 2005 |volume=130 |issue=4 |pages=1502–1515 |doi=10.1086/444560|arxiv=astro-ph/0506737 |bibcode=2005AJ....130.1502M |s2cid=119085469 }}</ref> The barred spiral galaxy NGC 5850 lies at a projected distance of 10 arcminutes from NGC 5846 and may form an interacting pair with NGC 5846 based on its disturbed morphology. It is suggested that the two galaxies had a high speed encounter approximately 200 million years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Higdon |first1=James L. |last2=Buta |first2=Ronald J. |last3=Purcell |first3=Guy B. |title=An Optical and H [CSC]i[/CSC] Study of NGC 5850: Victim of a High-Speed Encounter? |journal=The Astronomical Journal |date=January 1998 |volume=115 |issue=1 |pages=80–104 |doi=10.1086/300193|doi-access=free }}</ref>

NGC 5846 has a companion named NGC 5846-UDG1, an example of an [[Astronomy:Ultra diffuse galaxy|ultra diffuse galaxy]]. Ultra-diffuse galaxies have higher proportions of [[Astronomy:Globular cluster|globular cluster]]s than other galaxies, but NGC 5846 is one of the most extreme, with about 13% of its luminosity coming from globular clusters.<ref name=Danieli>{{cite journal|doi=10.3847/2041-8213/ac590a|title=NGC 5846-UDG1: A Galaxy Formed Mostly by Star Formation in Massive, Extremely Dense Clumps of Gas|year=2022|last1=Danieli|first1=Shany|last2=Van Dokkum|first2=Pieter|last3=Trujillo-Gomez|first3=Sebastian|last4=Kruijssen|first4=J. M. Diederik|last5=Romanowsky|first5=Aaron J.|last6=Carlsten|first6=Scott|last7=Shen|first7=Zili|last8=Li|first8=Jiaxuan|last9=Abraham|first9=Roberto|last10=Brodie|first10=Jean|last11=Conroy|first11=Charlie|last12=Gannon|first12=Jonah S.|last13=Greco|first13=Johnny|journal=The Astrophysical Journal Letters|volume=927|issue=2|pages=L28|arxiv=2111.14851|bibcode=2022ApJ...927L..28D|s2cid=244729821 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

NGC 5846 is the foremost galaxy of the large [[Astronomy:Galaxy group|galaxy group]] known as the NGC 5846 group. Other members of the group include NGC 5813, NGC 5831, NGC 5845, and NGC 5854.<ref name=Makarov>{{cite journal|last1=Makarov|first1=Dmitry|last2=Karachentsev|first2=Igor|title=Galaxy groups and clouds in the local (z∼ 0.01) Universe|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|date=21 April 2011|volume=412|issue=4|pages=2498–2520|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18071.x|url=http://www.sao.ru/hq/dim/groups/galaxies.dat|bibcode=2011MNRAS.412.2498M|arxiv=1011.6277|s2cid=119194025|access-date=12 January 2019|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131020344/http://www.sao.ru/hq/dim/groups/galaxies.dat|url-status=dead}}</ref> The group has two subgroups, one centered around the elliptical NGC 5813 and the other around NGC 5846, lying at a projected separation of 600 kpc.<ref name="Mahdavi05"/> The group is part of the Virgo III Groups, a very obvious chain of galaxy groups on the left side of the Virgo cluster, stretching across 40 million light years of space.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Virgo III Groups |url=http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/viriii.html |website=www.atlasoftheuniverse.com |access-date=9 January 2019}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{wikiSky}}
* [http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=NGC%205846 NGC 5846 on SIMBAD]


{{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 5846}}
[[Category:Elliptical galaxies]]
[[Category:Virgo (constellation)]]
[[Category:NGC objects|5846]]
[[Category:UGC objects|09706]]
[[Category:Principal Galaxies Catalogue objects|53932]]

{{Sourceattribution|NGC 5846}}