NGC 3079

NGC 3079
NGC 3079 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationUrsa Major
Right ascension10h 01m 57.9268s[1]
Declination+55° 40′ 46.926″[1]
Redshift1116 ± 1 km/s[1]
Distance50 Mly[2]
Group or clusterNGC 3079 Group (LGG 188)
Apparent magnitude (V)11.5[1]
Characteristics
TypeSB(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, CGCG 266-008[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

This visible light Hubble Space Telescope image shows the lumpy bubble of hot gas located at the center of the galaxy's disk.

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:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Results for object NGC 3079". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA and Caltech. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
  2. ^ "Burst of Star Formation Drives Bubble in Galaxy's Core - Fast Facts". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 3079". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  4. ^ "NGC 3079". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  5. ^ 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, arXiv:0807.2549, Bibcode:2008PASA...25..167G, doi:10.1071/AS08013, S2CID 89905.
  6. ^ 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. arXiv:astro-ph/0101010. Bibcode:2001ApJ...555..338C. doi:10.1086/321481.
  7. ^ 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. arXiv:1509.00350. Bibcode:2015MNRAS.454.1404S. doi:10.1093/mnras/stv2034. S2CID 55595738.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Filippenko, A. V.; Chornock, R. (2001). "Supernova 2001ci in NGC 3079". International Astronomical Union Circular (7638): 1. Bibcode:2001IAUC.7638....1F.
  11. ^ "SN 2001ci". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  12. ^ Cortini, G.; Brimacombe, J.; Tomasella, L.; Ochner, P.; Pastorello, A.; Benetti, S.; Cappellaro, E.; Turatto, M.; Farinato, J.; Pursimo, T.; Dennefeld, M. (2013). "Supernova 2013ee in NGC 3079 = PSN J10015683+5541440". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 3597: 1. Bibcode:2013CBET.3597....1C.
  13. ^ "SN 2013ee". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to NGC 3079.