NGC 4651

NGC 4651

NGC 4651. Note the umbrella-shaped stream.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Coma Berenices
Right ascension 12h 43m 42.6s[1]
Declination +16° 23 36[1]
Redshift 788 ± 2 km/s[1]
Distance 72.0 Mly
Type SA(rs)c[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 4.0 × 2.6[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 11.39[1]
Other designations
UGC 7901,[1] PGC 42833[1]
NGC 4651 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

NGC 4651 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Coma Berenices that can be seen with amateur telescopes, at a distance not well determined that ranges from 35 million light years[2] to 72 million light years[3]

Features

This member of the Virgo Cluster, located on its outskirts,[4] is known as the Umbrella Galaxy due to the umbrella-shaped structure that extends from its disk to the east and that it is composed of stellar streams, being the remmants of a much smaller galaxy that has been torn apart by NGC 4651's tidal forces,[2][5] something that explains why NGC 4651 has been included on Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 189 -galaxy with filaments-.

Studies using radiotelescopes of the distribution of its neutral hydrogen show distortions on NGC 4651's outer regions and a gas clump associated with a dwarf galaxy that may have born in the event that produced the mentioned stellar streams[6]

Unlike most spiral galaxies of the Virgo Cluster, NGC 4651 is rich in neutral hydrogen, also extending beyond the optical disk,[6] and its star formation is the typical for a galaxy of its type.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4651. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  2. 1 2 "NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy". NASA. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  3. Solanes, J. M.; Sanchis, T.; Salvador-Solé, E.; Giovanelli, R.; Haynes, M. P. (2002). "The Three-dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster Region from Tully-Fisher and H I Data". The Astronomical Journal 124 (5): 2440–2452. arXiv:astro-ph/0208147. Bibcode:2002AJ....124.2440S. doi:10.1086/344074.
  4. 1 2 Koopmann, R.; Kenney, J. D. P. (2004). "Hα Morphologies and Environmental Effects in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal 613 (2): 866–885. arXiv:astro-ph/0406243. Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..866K. doi:10.1086/423191.
  5. "Stellar Tidal Streams in Spiral Galaxies of the Local Volume". Retrieved 2012-07-21.
  6. 1 2 Chung, A.; Van Gorkom, J.H.; Kenney, J.F.P.; Crowl, Hugh; Vollmer, B. (2009). "VLA Imaging of Virgo Spirals in Atomic Gas (VIVA). I. The Atlas and the H I Properties". The Astronomical Journal 138 (6): 1741–1816. Bibcode:2009AJ....138.1741C. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/138/6/1741.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, July 19, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.