NGC 6331

NGC 6331
SDSS image of NGC 6331
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Ursa Minor
Right ascension	17h 03m 35.97s
Declination	+78d 37m 44.40s
Redshift	0.053614 0.00150
Heliocentric radial velocity	17,570 km/s
Distance	737 Mly (226 Mpc)
Group or cluster	Abell 2256
Apparent magnitude (V)	14.4
Characteristics
Type	E
Size	345,000 ly
Other designations
PGC 84830, 2MASX J17033591+7837435, SDSS J170335.88+783744.0, NSA 167203, WBL 631-001, CGCG 355-024, MCG +013-12-015

NGC 6331 is a type E[1] elliptical galaxy located in the Ursa Minor constellation.[2][1] It is located 737 million light-years from the Solar System[3] and was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on December 20, 1797, utilizing an 18.7-inch f/13 spectrum telescope[4] but also observed by Guillaume Bigourdan.[5]

With an approximate diameter of 345,000 light-years, NGC 6331 is well considered one of the largest galaxies.[3] It is the brightest group member of Abell 2256 and first in 6' string to the east, making up of 6 galaxies.[6] NGC 6331 also makes up a part of the galactic triplet CGCG 355-024[7] which comprises two other elliptical galaxies in the cluster, CGCG 355-024 NED03 (PGC 59513)[8] and CGCG 355-024 NED01 (PGC 84827).[9]

References

1. "Revised NGC Data for NGC 6331". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
2. "NGC 6331 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Minor | TheSkyLive.com". theskylive.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
3. "Your NED Search Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
4. "DOCdb - NGC 6331". www.docdb.net. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
5. "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 6300 - 6349". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
6. "NGC/IC Project Restoration Efforts". ngcicproject.observers.org. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
7. "NED Search Results of CGCG 355-024". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
8. "NED Search Results for CGCG355-024 NED03". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
9. "NED Search Results for CGCG 355-024 NED01". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-26.