NGC 4651

NGC 4651
NGC 4651. Note the umbrella-shaped stream.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Coma Berenices
Right ascension	12h 43m 42.6766s [1]
Declination	+16° 23′ 36.222″ [1]
Redshift	0.002669 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity	800 ± 1 km/s [1]
Distance	74.20 ± 3.50  Mly (22.749 ± 1.074  Mpc) [1]
Apparent magnitude  (V)	11.39 [1]
Characteristics
Type	SA(rs)c [1]
Size	~87,900  ly (26.95  kpc) (estimated) [1]
Apparent size  (V)	4.0′ × 2.6′ [1]
Other designations
Umbrella Galaxy, IRAS 12412+1639, Arp 189, UGC 7901, MCG +03-33-001, PGC 42833, CGCG 100-004, VV 56 [1]

NGC 4651 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

Spiral galaxy NGC 4651. Credit: ESA / Hubble Space Telescope & NASA, D. Leonard

NGC 4651 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Coma Berenices that can be seen with amateur telescopes, at a distance not well determined that ranges from 35 million light years ^[2] to 72 million light years. ^[3] It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 30 December 1783. ^[4]

Features

This member of the Virgo Cluster, located on its outskirts, ^[5] is known as the Umbrella Galaxy due to the umbrella-shaped structure that extends from its disk to the east and that is composed of stellar streams, being the remnants of a much smaller galaxy that has been torn apart by NGC 4651's tidal forces, ^{[2] [6]} something that explains why NGC 4651 has been included on Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 189 -galaxy with filaments-.

Studies using radiotelescopes of the distribution of its neutral hydrogen show distortions on NGC 4651's outer regions and a gas clump associated with a dwarf galaxy that may have been born in the event that produced the mentioned stellar streams. ^[7]

Unlike most spiral galaxies of the Virgo Cluster, NGC 4651 is rich in neutral hydrogen, also extending beyond the optical disk, ^[7] and its star formation is typical for a galaxy of its type. ^[5]

Supernovae

Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 4651:

• SN 1987K (Type II, mag. 15) was discovered by Carlton Pennypacker on 28 July 1987. ^{[8] [9]}
• SN 2006my (Type II, mag. 15.3) was discovered by Kōichi Itagaki on 8 November 2006. ^{[10] [11]}

References

1. "Results for object NGC 4651". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
2. Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (15 April 2010). "NGC 4651: The Umbrella Galaxy". Astronomy Picture of the Day . NASA . Retrieved 2012-08-04.
3. Solanes, J. M.; Sanchis, T.; Salvador-Solé, E.; Giovanelli, R.; Haynes, M. P. (2002). "The Three-dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster Region from Tully-Fisher and H I Data". The Astronomical Journal. 124 (5): 2440–2452. arXiv: astro-ph/0208147 . Bibcode:2002AJ....124.2440S. doi:10.1086/344074. S2CID   116914132.
4. Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 4651". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
5. Koopmann, R.; Kenney, J. D. P. (2004). "Hα Morphologies and Environmental Effects in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 613 (2): 866–885. arXiv: astro-ph/0406243 . Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..866K. doi:10.1086/423191. S2CID   17519217.
6. "Stellar Tidal Streams in Spiral Galaxies of the Local Volume" . Retrieved 2012-07-21.
7. Chung, A.; Van Gorkom, J.H.; Kenney, J.F.P.; Crowl, Hugh; Vollmer, B. (2009). "VLA Imaging of Virgo Spirals in Atomic Gas (VIVA). I. The Atlas and the H I Properties". The Astronomical Journal. 138 (6): 1741–1816. Bibcode:2009AJ....138.1741C. doi: 10.1088/0004-6256/138/6/1741 .
8. Pollas, C.; Pennypacker, C. (1987). "Supernovae 1987J and 1987K". International Astronomical Union Circular (4426): 1. Bibcode:1987IAUC.4426....1P.
9. "SN 1987K". Transient Name Server. IAU . Retrieved 6 December 2024.
10. Nakano, S.; Itagaki, K. (2006). "Supernovae 2006my-2006ne". International Astronomical Union Circular (8773): 1. Bibcode:2006IAUC.8773....1N.
11. "SN 2006my". Transient Name Server. IAU . Retrieved 6 December 2024.

External links

• Media related to NGC 4651 at Wikimedia Commons