NGC 2551

NGC 2551
NGC 2551 imaged by Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationCamelopardalis
Right ascension08h 24m 50.2491s[1]
Declination+73° 24′ 43.354″[1]
Redshift0.007819 ± 0.000037 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity2,344 ± 11 km/s[1]
Distance118 ± 8.2 Mly (36.2 ± 2.5 Mpc)[1]
Group or clusterNGC 2551 Group
Apparent magnitude (V)12.2[2]
Characteristics
TypeSA(s)0/a [1]
Size~58,000 ly (17.9 kpc) (estimated)[1]
Apparent size (V)1.7′ × 1.1′[1]
Other designations
IRAS F08192+7334, UGC 4362, MCG +12-08-038, PGC 23608, CGCG 331-040[1]

NGC 2551 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis. The galaxy lies about 120 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 2551 is approximately 60,000 light years across.[1] It was discovered by Wilhelm Tempel on August 9, 1882.[3]

Characteristics

NGC 2551 is categorised as a lenticular galaxy however the galaxy features spiral arms. The galaxy has two well defined narrow spiral arms and many arm fragments, with the spiral pattern being between a grand design galaxy and a multiple spiral arm pattern.[4] The galaxy is seen at an inclination of 50°.[5]

The galaxy has a disk of counter-rotating gas forming stars. It is possible the gas of the disk was accreted from a gas-rich satellite.[5] The star formation rate of galaxy based on the H-alpha is estimated to be 0.65 M☉ per year.[6] In ultraviolet a ring is visible lying 15 to 30 arcseconds from the nucleus. Apart from excitation from star formation there is also excitation from post-AGB stars and shocks in the northern inner part of the ring.[7] The galaxy also has a hydrogen disk which appears disturbed, probably due to interactions with other galaxies.[8]

Supernova

One supernova has been observed in NGC 2551, SN 2003hr. It was found by T. Boles on 31 August 2003 lying 48" west and 20".4 south of the centre of the galaxy at an apparent magnitude of 16.8.[9] Its spectral analysis showed it was a type II supernova several months post maximum.[10]

Nearby galaxies

NGC 2551 is the foremost member of the NGC 2551 group, which also includes galaxies NGC 2550, UGC 4390, and UGC 4413.[11] The group is part of the same galaxy cloud with NGC 2633, NGC 2634, NGC 2634A, and IC 2389.[11][12] NGC 2551 forms a pair with LEDA 2755603, a diffuse companion galaxy lying 2 arcminutes away.[13] UGC 4390 lies 14.4 arcminutes away.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Results for object NGC 2551". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA and Caltech. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  2. ^ "Revised NGC Data for NGC 2551". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 2551 (= 23608)". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. ^ Sandage, A., Bedke, J. (1994), The Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Volume I, Carnegie Institution of Washington
  5. ^ a b Sil'chenko, O. K.; Moiseev, A. V.; Afanasiev, V. L. (1 April 2009). "Two More Disk Galaxies with Global Gas Counterrotation". The Astrophysical Journal. 694 (2): 1550–1558. arXiv:0812.4349. Bibcode:2009ApJ...694.1550S. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/694/2/1550.
  6. ^ James, P. A.; Shane, N. S.; Beckman, J. E.; Cardwell, A.; Collins, C. A.; Etherton, J.; de Jong, R. S.; Fathi, K.; Knapen, J. H.; Peletier, R. F.; Percival, S. M.; Pollacco, D. L.; Seigar, M. S.; Stedman, S.; Steele, I. A. (January 2004). "The H$\mathsf{\alpha}$ galaxy survey: I. The galaxy sample, H$\mathsf{\alpha}$ narrow-band observations and star formation parameters for 334 galaxies". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 414 (1): 23–43. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031568.
  7. ^ Sil’chenko, Olga K.; Moiseev, Alexei V.; Egorov, Oleg V. (1 September 2019). "The Gas Kinematics, Excitation, and Chemistry, in Connection with Star Formation, in Lenticular Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 244 (1): 6. arXiv:1907.07261. Bibcode:2019ApJS..244....6S. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ab3415.
  8. ^ a b Tang, Ya-Wen; Kuo, Cheng-Yu; Lim, Jeremy; Ho, Paul T. P. (June 2008). "Prevalence of Tidal Interactions among Local Seyfert Galaxies: The Control Experiment". The Astrophysical Journal. 679 (2): 1094–1127. arXiv:0802.4265. Bibcode:2008ApJ...679.1094T. doi:10.1086/587045.
  9. ^ Armstrong, M.; Boles, T.; Ganeshalingam, M.; Li, W. (1 September 2003). "Supernovae 2003hq, 2003hr, and 2003hs". International Astronomical Union Circular (8191): 3. Bibcode:2003IAUC.8191....3A. ISSN 0081-0304.
  10. ^ Filippenko, A. V.; Chornock, R.; Jha, S. (October 2003). "Supernovae 2003hr, 2003ix, 2003iy, and 2003iz". International Astronomical Union Circular (8231): 2. ISSN 0081-0304.
  11. ^ a b Makarov, Dmitry; Karachentsev, Igor (21 April 2011). "Galaxy groups and clouds in the local (z~ 0.01) Universe". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 412 (4): 2498–2520. arXiv:1011.6277. Bibcode:2011MNRAS.412.2498M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18071.x. S2CID 119194025. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  12. ^ Garcia, A. M. (1 July 1993). "General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 100: 47–90. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G. ISSN 0365-0138.
  13. ^ Nilson, P. (1973) Uppsala General Catalogue of Galaxies, Acta Universitatis Upsalienis, Nova Regiae Societatis Upsaliensis, Series V: A Vol. 1
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