Andromeda XVIII

Last updated
Andromeda XVIII
Andromeda XVIII.jpg
DSS image of Andromeda XVIII
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Andromeda
Right ascension 00h 02m 14.5s [1]
Declination +45° 05 20 [1]
Helio radial velocity 326.2 ± 2.7 [2]
Distance 4,420 ± 290  kly (1,355 ± 88  kpc)
Group or cluster Local Group
Apparent magnitude  (V)15.50 ± 0.24 [3]
Absolute magnitude  (V)−10.41 ± 0.28 [3]
Characteristics
Type dG [1]
Mass 4.2×106 ± 0.3×106 [3] M
Half-light radius  (physical)325 ± 24 [2]
Other designations
PGC  5056918 [4]

Andromeda XVIII, discovered in 2008, is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy (has no rings, low luminosity, much dark matter, little gas or dust), which is a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It is one of the 14 known dwarf galaxies orbiting M31. It was announced in 2010 that the orbiting galaxies lie close to a plane running through M31's center.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

Local Group Group of galaxies that includes the Milky Way

The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way. It has a total diameter of roughly 3 megaparsecs (9.8 Mly), and a total mass of the order of 2×1012 solar masses (4.0×1042 kg). It consists of two clusters of galaxies in a "dumbbell" shape: the Milky Way and its satellites form one lobe, and the Andromeda Galaxy and its satellites constitute the other. The two clusters are separated by about 0.8 Mpc (2.5×1022 m) and are moving toward one another with a velocity of 123 km/s. The group itself is a part of the larger Virgo Supercluster, which may be a part of the Laniakea Supercluster. The total number of galaxies in the Local Group is unknown as some are occluded by the Milky Way; however, at least 80 such objects are known (most of which are dwarf galaxies).

Andromeda Galaxy Spiral galaxy within the Local Group

The Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth and the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. The galaxy's name stems from the area of Earth's sky in which it appears, the constellation of Andromeda, which itself is named after the Ethiopian princess who was the wife of Perseus in Greek mythology.

Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

The Pegasus Dwarf Spheroidal is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.7 million light-years away in the constellation Pegasus. The Pegasus Dwarf is a member of the Local Group and a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31).

Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy

The Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy is a dwarf irregular galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered by A. G. Wilson in the 1950s. The Pegasus Dwarf is a companion of the Andromeda Galaxy in the Local Group.

Dwarf spheroidal galaxy Small, low-luminosity galaxies with very little dust and an older stellar population

A dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) is a term in astronomy applied to small, low-luminosity galaxies with very little dust and an older stellar population. They are found in the Local Group as companions to the Milky Way and to systems that are companions to the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). While similar to dwarf elliptical galaxies in appearance and properties such as little to no gas or dust or recent star formation, they are approximately spheroidal in shape and generally have lower luminosity.

Andromeda I Dwarf galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

Andromeda I is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy (dSph) about 2.40 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. Andromeda I is part of the local group of galaxies and a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It is roughly 3.5 degrees south and slightly east of M31. As of 2005, it is the closest known dSph companion to M31 at an estimated projected distance of ~40 kpc or ~150,000 light-years.

NGC 147 Galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia

NGC 147 is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.58 Mly away in the constellation Cassiopeia. NGC 147 is a member of the Local group of galaxies and a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). It forms a physical pair with the nearby galaxy NGC 185, another remote satellite of M31. It was discovered by John Herschel in September 1829. Visually it is both fainter and slightly larger than NGC 185. This means that NGC 147 is more difficult to see than NGC 185, which is visible in small telescopes. In the Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook, the visual appearance of NGC 147 is described as follows:

Large, quite faint, irregularly round; it brightens in the middle to a stellar nucleus.

Pisces Dwarf

Pisces Dwarf is an irregular dwarf galaxy that is part of the Local Group. The galaxy, taking its name from the constellation Pisces where it appears, is suspected of being a satellite galaxy of the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). It displays a blueshift, as it is approaching the Milky Way at 287 km/s. It may be transition-type galaxy, somewhere between dwarf spheroidal and dwarf irregular. Alternatively, it may be a rare, but statistically acceptable, version of one of the two types.

The Milky Way has several smaller galaxies gravitationally bound to it, as part of the Milky Way subgroup, which is part of the local galaxy cluster, the Local Group.

Andromeda IX is a dwarf spheroidal satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy. It was discovered in 2004 by resolved stellar photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), by Zucker et al. (2004). At the time of its discovery, it was the galaxy with the lowest known surface brightness, ΣV ≃ 26.8mags arcsec−2 and the faintest galaxy known from its intrinsic absolute brightness.

Andromeda II Dwarf spheroidal galaxy in constellation Andromeda

Andromeda II is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.22 Mly away in the constellation Andromeda. While part of the Local Group, it is not quite clear if it is a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy or the Triangulum Galaxy.

Andromeda III is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.44 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It is part of the Local Group and is a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). The galaxy was discovered by Sidney van den Bergh on photographic plates taken in 1970 and 1971.

Andromeda IV Galaxy in constellation Andromeda

Andromeda IV is an isolated irregular dwarf galaxy. The moderate surface brightness, a very blue color, low current star formation rate and low metallicity are consistent with it being a small (background) dwarf irregular galaxy, perhaps similar to Local Group dwarfs such as IC 1613 and Sextans A. Arguments based on the observed radial velocity and the tentative detection of the RGB tip suggest that it lies well outside the confines of the Local Group.

Andromeda V is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 2.52 Mly away in the constellation Andromeda.

Cetus Dwarf

Cetus Dwarf is a dwarf spheroidal galaxy. It lies approximately 2.46 Million light-years from Earth. It is an isolated galaxy of the Local Group, which also contains the Milky Way. All of the most readily observable stars in the galaxy are red giants.

Andromeda XXI is a moderately bright dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 859 ± 51 kiloparsecs (2.80 ± 0.17 Mly) away from the Sun in the constellation Andromeda. It is the fourth largest Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

Andromeda XXII is a low surface brightness dwarf spheroidal galaxy about 940–1,033 kiloparsecs away from the Sun in the constellation Pisces, of the Local Group.

Andromeda XIX is a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), a member of the Local Group, like the Milky Way Galaxy. Andromeda XIX is considered "the most extended dwarf galaxy known in the Local Group", and has been shown to have a half-light radius of 1.7 kiloparsec (kpc). It was discovered by the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, and is thought to be a dwarf galaxy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 McConnachie, Alan W; Huxor, Avon; Martin, Nicolas F; Irwin, Mike J; Chapman, Scott C; Fahlman, Gregory; Ferguson, Annette M. N; Ibata, Rodrigo A; Lewis, Geraint F; Richer, Harvey; Tanvir, Nial R (2008). "A Trio of New Local Group Galaxies with Extreme Properties". The Astrophysical Journal. 688 (2): 1009. arXiv: 0806.3988 . Bibcode:2008ApJ...688.1009M. doi:10.1086/591313. S2CID   16950090.
  2. 1 2 Collins, Michelle L. M; Chapman, Scott C; Rich, R. Michael; Ibata, Rodrigo A; Martin, Nicolas F; Irwin, Michael J; Bate, Nicholas F; Lewis, Geraint F; Peñarrubia, Jorge; Arimoto, Nobuo; Casey, Caitlin M; Ferguson, Annette M. N; Koch, Andreas; McConnachie, Alan W; Tanvir, Nial (2013). "A Kinematic Study of the Andromeda Dwarf Spheroidal System". The Astrophysical Journal. 768 (2): 172. arXiv: 1302.6590 . Bibcode:2013ApJ...768..172C. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/768/2/172. S2CID   67749084.
  3. 1 2 3 Makarova, L. N; Makarov, D. I; Karachentsev, I. D; Tully, R. B; Rizzi, L (2017). "Star formation history of And XVIII: a dwarf spheroidal galaxy in isolation". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 464 (2): 2281. arXiv: 1609.09706 . Bibcode:2017MNRAS.464.2281M. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw2502. S2CID   119275751.
  4. "NAME Andromeda XVIII". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 19 September 2017.