NGC 3758

Last updated
NGC 3758
NGC 3758 legacy dr10.jpg
DECam image of NGC 3758
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Leo
Right ascension 11h 36m 29.10s
Declination +21d 35m 46.0s
Redshift 0.029771
Heliocentric radial velocity 8,909 km/s
Distance 447 Mly (137 Mpc)
Apparent magnitude  (V)14.3
Characteristics
Type Sab pec, Sy1
Size70,000 ly
Notable featuresRare example of binary active galactic nucleus, seyfert galaxy
Other designations
PGC 35905, CGCG 126-110, KUG 1133+218, MCG +04-27-073, IRAS 11338+2152, REIZ 1338, PGC 165579, AKRAI J1136286+213546, RBS 1003, NVSS J113629+213549, SFRS 149, Mrk 739, 1RXS J113629.4+213552, LEDA 35905

NGC 3758 known as the Owl Galaxy, [1] is a type Sb [2] spiral galaxy in the constellation of Leo. [3] [4] It is located 447 million light-years from the Solar System and an approximate diameter of 70,000 light-years. [5] NGC 3758 was discovered by Ralph Copeland on March 18, 1874, but also independently discovered by Edouard Stephan ten years later. [1]

Description

MUSE image of NGC 3758, showing [O III] as green (EELR) and H-alpha as red (star-forming regions) NGC 3758 MUSE 2.jpg
MUSE image of NGC 3758, showing [O III] as green (EELR) and H-alpha as red (star-forming regions)

NGC 3758 is classified as a Seyfert 1 type galaxy. [5] [6] It is classified a Markarian galaxy (designated Mrk 739), because compared to other galaxies its nucleus emits excessive amounts of ultraviolet rays. [7] It is a binary active galactic nucleus galaxy, a rare example of a galaxy merger. [8] [9]

Sloan Digital Sky Survey image of NGC 3758. Notice the two luminous cores. NGC 3758 SDSS.jpg
Sloan Digital Sky Survey image of NGC 3758. Notice the two luminous cores.

NGC 3758 is made up of two separate galaxies, NGC 3758W [10] and NGC 3758E. [11] Each of the two galaxies has a supermassive black hole, which is only 11,000 light-years apart and gorging on infalling gas. [12] Both black holes are active, in which large amounts of gas is sent spiraling inward, which it becomes hot and radiates energy. [9] The galaxies are gravitationally bound together and such, their orbits will dynamically decay until their nuclei merge in which the process takes a few billion years. [13]

The galaxy has an appearance of a friendly-looking object complete with two cores as the eyes and a swirling grin. [12] It is possible that binary black holes on the verge of merging in NGC 3758 can turn stars into hypervelocity stars and catapult them out of their host galaxy. [14]

NGC 3758 contains an extended emission-line region (EELR), which was discovered in the Galaxy Zoo project. This EELR could originate from both AGN or from just one. Detailed oxygen [O III] imaging could reveal which AGN is responsible for this EELR. [15] ESO's VLT MUSE instrument is capable of such observations and MUSE did observe NGC 3758 in 2016, [16] but no publication about the MUSE data concerning the EELR exists as of May 2024.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7002</span> Galaxy in the constellation Indus

NGC 7002 is a large elliptical galaxy, and a radio galaxy, around 320 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Indus. The galaxy was discovered by English astronomer John Herschel on September 30, 1834. NGC 7002 is the brightest member of a group of galaxies known as [T2015] nest 200093. The group contains 12 member galaxies including NGC 7004, has a velocity dispersion of 440 km/s and an estimated mass of 1.28 × 1014M. NGC 7002 is also host to a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 2.7 × 109M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7016</span> Galaxy in the constellation Capricornus

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4564</span> Elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4660</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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NGC 1270 is an elliptical galaxy located about 250 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus. It was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on February 14, 1863. NGC 1270 is a member of the Perseus Cluster and has an estimated age of about 11 billion years. However, Greene et al. puts the age of NGC 1270 at about 15.0 ± 0.50 Gy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3840</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3840 is a spiral galaxy located about 320 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on May 8, 1864. NGC 3840 is a member of the Leo Cluster. The galaxy is rich in neutral atomic hydrogen and is not interacting with its environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3844</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3844 is a lenticular galaxy located about 320 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on May 8, 1864. NGC 3844 is a member of the Leo Cluster and is likely to be a low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3860</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3860 is a spiral galaxy located about 340 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. NGC 3860 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785. The galaxy is a member of the Leo Cluster and is a low-luminosity AGN (LLAGN). Gavazzi et al. however classified NGC 3860 as a strong AGN which may have been triggered by a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3861</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3861 is a large barred spiral galaxy with a ring-like structure located about 310 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 23, 1827. NGC 3861 is a member of the Leo Cluster and has a normal amount of neutral hydrogen and ionised hydrogen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3981</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Crater

NGC 3981 is an unbarred spiral galaxy located 62 million light-years away in the constellation of Crater. It was discovered on February 7, 1785 by William Herschel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 753</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4060</span> Lenticular and LINER galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4060 is a lenticular galaxy located 320 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer Albert Marth on March 18, 1865 and is a member of the NGC 4065 Group which is part of the Coma Supercluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4092</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4092 is a spiral galaxy located 310 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on May 2, 1864. NGC 4092 is a member of the NGC 4065 Group and hosts an AGN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4299</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4299 is a featureless spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 918</span> Barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Aries

NGC 918 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Aries, about 67 million light years from the Milky Way. It was discovered by John Herschel on Jan 11, 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3753</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3753 is a large spiral galaxy with a bar located in the Leo constellation. It is located 435 million light-years away from the Solar System and was discovered on February 9, 1874, by Ralph Copeland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3750</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3750 is a lenticular galaxy with a bar located in the constellation of Leo. It is located 450 million light-years from the Solar System and was discovered by Ralph Copeland on February 9, 1874.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3751</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3751 is a type E-S0 lenticular galaxy located in the Leo constellation. It is located 450 million light-years away from the Solar System and was discovered by Ralph Copeland on April 5, 1874.

References

  1. 1 2 "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 3750 - 3799". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  2. "HyperLeda -object description". atlas.obs-hp.fr. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  3. Ford, Dominic. "NGC3758 (Galaxy)". In-The-Sky.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  4. "Revised NGC Data for NGC 3758". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  5. 1 2 "Your NED Search Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  6. Osterbrock, Donald E.; Shaw, Richard A. (1988). "1988ApJ...327...89O Page 89". The Astrophysical Journal. 327: 89. Bibcode:1988ApJ...327...89O. doi:10.1086/166172 . Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  7. "Revised Data from NGC/IC Catalogue by Wolfgang Steinickle from NGC 3700 to 3799". astrovalleyfield.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. "Object of the Week, April 1 2018----NGC 3758 "The Smiley Face Galaxy"". www.deepskyforum.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  9. 1 2 Wiessinger, Scott (2011-06-10). "NASA Scientific Visualization Studio | Nearby Galaxy Boasts Two Monster Black Holes, Both Active". NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  10. "NED Search Results for NGC 3758W". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  11. "NED Search Results for NGC 3758E". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  12. 1 2 Lazaro, Enrico de (2021-04-27). "Astronomers Observe Nearby Galaxy with Two Bright Cores | Sci.News". Sci.News: Breaking Science News. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  13. Mezcua, M.; Lobanov, A. P.; Mediavilla, E.; Karouzos, M. (2014-02-26). "Photometric Decomposition of Mergers in Disk Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 784 (1): 16. arXiv: 1401.5920 . Bibcode:2014ApJ...784...16M. doi:10.1088/0004-637x/784/1/16. ISSN   0004-637X.
  14. Woo, Marcus. "The Fastest Stars in the Universe May Approach Light Speed". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  15. Keel, William C.; Chojnowski, S. Drew; Bennert, Vardha N.; Schawinski, Kevin; Lintott, Chris J.; Lynn, Stuart; Pancoast, Anna; Harris, Chelsea; Nierenberg, A. M.; Sonnenfeld, Alessandro; Proctor, Richard (2012-02-01). "The Galaxy Zoo survey for giant AGN-ionized clouds: past and present black hole accretion events". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 420 (1): 878–900. arXiv: 1110.6921 . Bibcode:2012MNRAS.420..878K. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.20101.x . ISSN   0035-8711.
  16. "ESO Dataset - ADP.2016-07-26T07:11:27.413". archive.eso.org. Retrieved 2024-05-01.