NGC 602

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NGC 602
NGC602.jpg
A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of NGC 602 (north is left). Sk 183 is just above centre, NGC 602a just below and left of centre, and NGC 602b towards the left edge.
Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Right ascension 01h 29m 32.133s [1]
Declination −73° 33′ 38.13″ [1]
Distance 196 kly [2] (61 kpc [2] )
Apparent magnitude  (V)15.44 (pg) [3]
Apparent dimensions (V)2.7' [4]
Physical characteristics
Mass-  M☉
Radius90 ly
Estimated age5 My [5]
-
Other designationsN90 [2]
Associations
Constellation Hydrus
See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters

NGC 602 is a young, bright open cluster of stars located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. It is embedded in a nebula known as N90.

Radiation and shock waves from the stars of NGC 602 have pushed away much of the lighter surrounding gas and dust that is N90, and this in turn has triggered new star formation in the ridges (or "elephant trunks") of the nebula. These even younger, pre-main sequence stars are still enshrouded in dust but are visible to the Spitzer Space Telescope at infrared wavelengths. [6] The cluster is of particular interest because it is located in the wing of the SMC leading to the Magellanic Bridge. Hence, while its chemical properties should be similar to those of the rest of the galaxy, it is relatively isolated and so easier to study. [7]

NGC 602 contains three main condensations of stars. The central core is NGC 602a, with the compact NGC 602b 100 arc-seconds to the NNW. NGC 602c is a looser grouping 11 arc-minutes to the NE, which includes the WO star AB8. [8]

NGC 602 includes many young O and B stars and young stellar objects, with few evolved stars. [9] Ionisation in the nebula is dominated by Sk 183, an extremely hot O3 main sequence star visible as the bright isolated star at the centre of the Hubble image. [10]

A number of other, more distant galaxies also appear in the background of the Hubble images of NGC 602, making for a "tantalizing" [11] and "grand" [12] view.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large Magellanic Cloud</span> Magellanic spiral galaxy that is a satellite of the Milky Way in the constellation Dorado

The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. At a distance of around 50 kiloparsecs (160 kly), the LMC is the second- or third-closest galaxy to the Milky Way, after the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal (c. 16 kpc (52 kly) away) and the possible dwarf irregular galaxy called the Canis Major Overdensity. Based on the D25 isophote at the B-band (445 nm wavelength of light), the Large Magellanic Cloud is about 9.86 kpc (32.2 kly) across. It is roughly one-hundredth the mass of the Milky Way and is the fourth-largest galaxy in the Local Group, after the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the Milky Way, and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Magellanic Cloud</span> Dwarf irregular galaxy, satellite galaxy of the Milky Way

The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), or Nubecula Minor, is a dwarf galaxy near the Milky Way. Classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy, the SMC has a D25 isophotal diameter of about 5.78 kiloparsecs (18,900 light-years), and contains several hundred million stars. It has a total mass of approximately 7 billion solar masses. At a distance of about 200,000 light-years, the SMC is among the nearest intergalactic neighbors of the Milky Way and is one of the most distant objects visible to the naked eye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triangulum Galaxy</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Triangulum

The Triangulum Galaxy is a spiral galaxy 2.73 million light-years (ly) from Earth in the constellation Triangulum. It is catalogued as Messier 33 or NGC (New General Catalogue) 598. With the D25 isophotal diameter of 18.74 kiloparsecs (61,100 light-years), the Triangulum Galaxy is the third-largest member of the Local Group of galaxies, behind the Andromeda Galaxy and the Milky Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarantula Nebula</span> H II region in the constellation Dorado

The Tarantula Nebula is a large H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), forming its south-east corner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf galaxy</span> Small galaxy composed of up to several billion stars

A dwarf galaxy is a small galaxy composed of about 1000 up to several billion stars, as compared to the Milky Way's 200–400 billion stars. The Large Magellanic Cloud, which closely orbits the Milky Way and contains over 30 billion stars, is sometimes classified as a dwarf galaxy; others consider it a full-fledged galaxy. Dwarf galaxies' formation and activity are thought to be heavily influenced by interactions with larger galaxies. Astronomers identify numerous types of dwarf galaxies, based on their shape and composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3603</span> Open cluster in the constellation Carina

NGC 3603 is a nebula situated in the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way around 20,000 light-years away from the Solar System. It is a massive H II region containing a very compact open cluster HD 97950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 1569</span> Galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis

NGC 1569 is a dwarf irregular galaxy in Camelopardalis. The galaxy is relatively nearby and consequently, the Hubble Space Telescope can easily resolve the stars within the galaxy. The distance to the galaxy was previously believed to be only 2.4 Mpc. However, in 2008 scientists studying images from Hubble calculated the galaxy's distance at nearly 11 million light-years away, about 4 million light-years farther than previously thought, meaning it is a member of the IC 342 group of galaxies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6822</span> Galaxy in the constellation Sagittarius

NGC 6822 is a barred irregular galaxy approximately 1.6 million light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. Part of the Local Group of galaxies, it was discovered by E. E. Barnard in 1884, with a six-inch refractor telescope. It is the closest non-satellite galaxy to the Milky Way, but lies just outside its virial radius. It is similar in structure and composition to the Small Magellanic Cloud. It is about 7,000 light-years in diameter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4214</span> Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici

NGC 4214 is a dwarf barred irregular galaxy located around 10 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. NGC 4214 is a member of the M94 Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 346</span> Open cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 346 is a young open cluster of stars with associated nebula located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) that appears in the southern constellation of Tucana. It was discovered August 1, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. J. L. E. Dreyer described it as, "bright, large, very irregular figure, much brighter middle similar to double star, mottled but not resolved". On the outskirts of the cluster is the multiple star system HD 5980, one of the brightest stars in the SMC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 290</span> Open cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 290 is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Tucana. This cluster was discovered September 5, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. It lies some 200,000 light years away from the Sun in the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy. The cluster is an estimated 30–63 million years old and is around 65 light years across.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 265</span> Open star cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 265 is an open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Tucana. It is located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy. The cluster was discovered by English astronomer John Herschel on April 11, 1834. J. L. E. Dreyer described it as, "faint, pretty small, round", and added it as the 265th entry in his New General Catalogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4449</span> Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici

NGC 4449, also known as Caldwell 21, is an irregular Magellanic type galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici, being located about 13 million light-years away. It is part of the M94 Group or Canes Venatici I Group that is relatively close to the Local Group hosting our Milky Way galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 2060</span> Star cluster in the constellation Dorado

NGC 2060 is a star cluster within the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, very close to the larger NGC 2070 cluster containing R136. It was discovered by John Herschel in 1836. It is a loose cluster approximately 10 million years old, within one of the Tarantula Nebula's superbubbles formed by the combined stellar winds of the cluster or by old supernovae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AB7</span> Binary star in the Small Magellanic Cloud in the constellation Tucana

AB7, also known as SMC WR7, is a binary star in the Small Magellanic Cloud. A Wolf–Rayet star and a supergiant companion of spectral type O orbit in a period of 19.56 days. The system is surrounded by a ring-shaped nebula known as a bubble nebula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AB8 (star)</span> Binary star located in the Small Magellanic Cloud in the constellation Hydrus

AB8, also known as SMC WR8, is a binary star in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). A Wolf-Rayet star and a main sequence companion of spectral type O orbit in a period of 16.638 days. It is one of only nine known WO stars, the only Wolf-Rayet star in the SMC not on the nitrogen sequence, and the only Wolf-Rayet star in the SMC outside the main bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 299</span> Open star cluster in the constellation Tucana

NGC 299 is an open cluster of stars in the main body of the Small Magellanic Cloud – a nearby dwarf galaxy. It is located in the southern constellation of Tucana, just under 200,000 light years distant from the Sun. The cluster was discovered on August 12, 1834 by English astronomer John Herschel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 376</span> Globular cluster located in the constellation Tucana

NGC 376 is a young open cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Tucana. It was discovered on September 2, 1826, by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. Dreyer, a Danish/British astronomer, described it as a "globular cluster, bright, small, round." It is irregular in form, with a central spike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N11 (emission nebula)</span> Emission nebula in the constellation Dorado

N11 is the brightest emission nebula in the north-west part of the Large Magellanic Cloud in the Dorado constellation. The N11 complex is the second largest H II region of that galaxy, the largest being the Tarantula Nebula. It covers an area approximately 6 arc minutes across. It has an elliptical shape and consists of a large bubble, generally clear interstellar area, surrounded by nine large nebulae. It was named by Karl Henize in 1956.

References

  1. 1 2 "NGC 602". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 2013-04-04.
  2. 1 2 3 "Hubble Observes Infant Stars in Nearby Galaxy". HubbleSite. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  3. ↑ Lindsay, E. M. (1961). "A new catalogue of emission-line stars and planetary nebulae in the Small Magellanic Cloud". Astronomical Journal. 66: 169. Bibcode:1961AJ.....66..169L. doi: 10.1086/108396 .
  4. ↑ Westerlund, B. E. (1964). "The distribution of stars in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud-The region NGC 602". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 127 (5): 429–448. Bibcode:1964MNRAS.127..429W. doi: 10.1093/mnras/127.5.429 .
  5. ↑ Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (10 January 2007). "NGC 602 and Beyond". Astronomy Picture of the Day . NASA . Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  6. ↑ "NGC 602: Ongoing Star Formation in a Young SMC Cluster". Hubble Heritage Project. January 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  7. ↑ Carlson, L. R.; Sirianni, M.; Hora, J. L.; Sabbi, E.; Nota, A.; Meixner, M.; Clampin, M.; Gallagher, J.; Oey, M. S.; Pasquali, A.; Smith, L. J.; Tosi, M.; Walterbos, R. (2005). "Discovery of a Pre-main sequence Population in SMC cluster, NGC 602 with HST/ACS and SST/IRAC". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 207: 1475, 185.03. Bibcode:2005AAS...20718503C.
  8. ↑ Westerlund, B. E. (1964). "The distribution of stars in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud-The region NGC 602". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 127 (5): 429–448. Bibcode:1964MNRAS.127..429W. doi: 10.1093/mnras/127.5.429 .
  9. ↑ Gouliermis, Dimitrios A.; Schmeja, Stefan; Dolphin, Andrew E.; Gennaro, Mario; Tognelli, Emanuele; Prada Moroni, Pier Giorgio (2012). "The Clustered Nature of Star Formation. Pre-main-sequence Clusters in the Star-forming Region NGC 602/N90 in the Small Magellanic Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 748 (1): 64. arXiv: 1201.3081 . Bibcode:2012ApJ...748...64G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/64. S2CID   119206857.
  10. ↑ Evans, C. J.; Hainich, R.; Oskinova, L. M.; Gallagher, J. S.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.; Hamann, W.-R.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Todt, H. (2012). "A Rare Early-type Star Revealed in the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 753 (2): 173. arXiv: 1205.2387 . Bibcode:2012ApJ...753..173E. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/753/2/173. S2CID   119208446.
  11. ↑ APOD: 2007 January 10 - NGC 602 and Beyond
  12. ↑ "New Stars Shed Light On The Past". Science Daily. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-02-09.


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