NGC 7217

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NGC 7217
NGC 7217 Hubble.jpg
Spiral Galaxy NGC 7217 by HST, 1.62 view
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Pegasus
Right ascension 22h 07m 52.4s [1]
Declination +31° 21 33 [1]
Redshift 952 ± 2 km/s [1]
Distance 50.0 Mly
Apparent magnitude  (V)11.0 [1]
Characteristics
Type (R)SA(r)ab [1]
Apparent size  (V)3.9 × 3.2 [1]
Other designations
UGC 11914, [1] PGC 68096 [1]

NGC 7217 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus.

Contents

Features

NGC 7217 is a gas-poor system [2] whose main features are the presence of several rings of stars concentric to its nucleus: three main ones –the outermost one being of the most prominent and the one that features most of the gas and star formation of this galaxy – [2] plus several others inside the innermost one discovered with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope; a feature that suggests NGC 7217's central regions have suffered several starbursts. [3] There is also a very large and massive spheroid that extends beyond its disk. [4]

Other noteworthy features this galaxy has are the presence of a number of stars rotating in the opposite direction around the galaxy's center to most of them [5] and two distinct stellar populations: one of intermediate age on its innermost regions and a younger, metal-poor version on its outermost ones. [6]

It has been suggested these features were caused by a merger with another galaxy [7] and, in fact, computer simulations show that NGC 7217 could have been a large lenticular galaxy that merged with one or two smaller gas-rich ones of late Hubble type becoming the spiral galaxy we see today; [6] however right now this galaxy is isolated in space, with no nearby major companions. [6] More recent research presents a somewhat different scenario in which NGC 7217's massive bulge and halo would have been formed in a merger and the disk formed later (and is still growing) either accreting gas from the intergalactic medium or smaller gas-rich galaxies, or most likely from a previously existing reserve. [8]

Wide field view of the galaxy N7217s.jpg
Wide field view of the galaxy

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7742</span> Galaxy in the constellation Pegasus

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliptical galaxy</span> Spherical or ovoid mass of stars

An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy with an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless image. They are one of the four main classes of galaxy described by Edwin Hubble in his Hubble sequence and 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae, along with spiral and lenticular galaxies. Elliptical (E) galaxies are, together with lenticular galaxies (S0) with their large-scale disks, and ES galaxies with their intermediate scale disks, a subset of the "early-type" galaxy population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenticular galaxy</span> Class of galaxy between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy

A lenticular galaxy is a type of galaxy intermediate between an elliptical and a spiral galaxy in galaxy morphological classification schemes. It contains a large-scale disc but does not have large-scale spiral arms. Lenticular galaxies are disc galaxies that have used up or lost most of their interstellar matter and therefore have very little ongoing star formation. They may, however, retain significant dust in their disks. As a result, they consist mainly of aging stars. Despite the morphological differences, lenticular and elliptical galaxies share common properties like spectral features and scaling relations. Both can be considered early-type galaxies that are passively evolving, at least in the local part of the Universe. Connecting the E galaxies with the S0 galaxies are the ES galaxies with intermediate-scale discs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galactic bulge</span> Tightly packed group of stars within a larger formation

In astronomy, a galactic bulge is a tightly packed group of stars within a larger star formation. The term almost exclusively refers to the central group of stars found in most spiral galaxies. Bulges were historically thought to be elliptical galaxies that happened to have a disk of stars around them, but high-resolution images using the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that many bulges lie at the heart of a spiral galaxy. It is now thought that there are at least two types of bulges: bulges that are like ellipticals and bulges that are like spiral galaxies.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 404</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 404 is a field galaxy located about 10 million light years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784, and is visible through small telescopes. NGC 404 lies just beyond the Local Group and does not appear gravitationally bound to it. It is located within 7 arc-minutes of second magnitude star Mirach, making it a difficult target to observe or photograph and granting it the nickname "Mirach's Ghost".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messier 94</span> Galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici

Messier 94 is a spiral galaxy in the mid-northern constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by Charles Messier two days later. Although some references describe M94 as a barred spiral galaxy, the "bar" structure appears to be more oval-shaped. The galaxy has two ring structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 2841</span> Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major

NGC 2841 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Major. It was discovered on 9 March, 1788 by German-born astronomer William Herschel. J. L. E. Dreyer, the author of the New General Catalogue, described it as, "very bright, large, very much extended 151°, very suddenly much brighter middle equal to 10th magnitude star". Initially thought to be about 30 million light-years distant, a 2001 Hubble Space Telescope survey of the galaxy's Cepheid variables determined its distance to be approximately 14.1 megaparsecs or 46 million light-years. The optical size of the galaxy is 8.1 × 3.5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4622</span> Galaxy in the constellation Centaurus

NGC 4622 is a face-on unbarred spiral galaxy with a very prominent ring structure located in the constellation Centaurus. The galaxy is a member of the Centaurus Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3169</span> Galaxy in the constellation Sextans

NGC 3169 is a spiral galaxy about 75 million light years away in the constellation Sextans. It has the morphological classification SA(s)a pec, which indicates this is a pure, unbarred spiral galaxy with tightly-wound arms and peculiar features. There is an asymmetrical spiral arm and an extended halo around the galaxy. It is a member of the NGC 3166 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Leo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the right edge of the Virgo Supercluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 2775</span> Galaxy in the constellation Cancer

NGC 2775, also known as Caldwell 48, is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Cancer. It is 67 million light-years away from the Milky Way. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1783. NGC 2775 belongs to the Antlia-Hydra Cluster of galaxies and is the most prominent member of the NGC 2775 Group, a small galaxy group in the Virgo Super-cluster, along with the Local Group. Other members of the NGC 2775 Group include NGC 2777 and UGC 4781.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 6503</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco

NGC 6503 is a field dwarf spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Draco. It was discovered by German astronomer Arthur von Auwers on July 22, 1854. The galaxy has an angular size of 7.1′ × 2.4′ and an apparent visual magnitude of 10.2. It is located at a distance of approximately 20.9 million light-years (6.40 Mpc) from the Milky Way galaxy. NGC 6503 may form the remote tip of a long chain of galaxies that extends out into the local void, forming a galaxy filament spanning 26 million light-years (8 Mpc).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 2748</span> Galaxy in the constellation Camelopardalis

NGC 2748 is a spiral galaxy in the northern circumpolar constellation of Camelopardalis, located at a distance of 61.3 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered September 2, 1828 by John Herschel. The morphological classification of SAbc indicates this is an unbarred spiral with moderate to loosely-wound spiral arms. It is a disk-like peculiar galaxy with a stellar shell that is rotating about the main galactic axis. This shell was most likely formed through the capture and disruption of a dwarf companion. The galactic nucleus likely contains a supermassive black hole with a mass of 4.4+3.5
−3.6
×107 M
, or 44 million times the mass of the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3675</span> Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major

NGC 3675 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It is located at a distance of circa 50 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 3675 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1788.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3941</span> Galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major

NGC 3941 is a barred lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It is located at a distance of circa 40 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 3941 is about 40,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1787.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4522</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo

NGC 4522 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 60 million light-years away within the Virgo Cluster in the constellation Virgo. NGC 4522 is losing its molecular gas though ram-pressure stripping as it plows though the cluster at a speed of more than 10 million kilometres per hour. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on January 18, 1828.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 615</span> Galaxy in the constellation Cetus

NGC 615 is an unbarred spiral galaxy seen edge-on located in the constellation Cetus. It is located at a distance of circa 70 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 615 is about 75,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on January 10, 1785. NGC 615 belongs to the NGC 584 galaxy group, which also includes the galaxies NGC 584, NGC 596, NGC 600, and NGC 636.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 7469</span> Galaxy located in the constellation Pegasus

NGC 7469 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Pegasus. NGC 7469 is located about 200 million light-years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 7469 is approximately 90,000 light-years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on November 12, 1784.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4324</span> Galaxy in the constellation of Virgo

NGC 4324 is a lenticular galaxy located about 85 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on March 4, 1862. NGC 4324 has a stellar mass of 5.62 × 1010M, and a baryonic mass of 5.88 × 1010M. The galaxy's total mass is around 5.25 × 1011M. NGC 4324 is notable for having a ring of star formation surrounding its nucleus. It was considered a member of the Virgo II Groups until 1999, when its distance was recalculated and it was placed in the Virgo W Group.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 7217. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
  2. 1 2 Verdes-Montenegro, L.; Bosma, A. (1995). "The three rings of the isolated galaxy NGC 7217". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 300: 65. Bibcode:1995A&A...300...65V.
  3. Combes, F.; García-Burillo, S.; Boone, F.; Hunt, L.K.; et al. (2004). "Molecular gas in NUclei of GAlaxies (NUGA). II. The ringed LINER NGC 7217". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 414 (3): 857–872. arXiv: astro-ph/0310652 . Bibcode:2004A&A...414..857C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031664. S2CID   12941641.
  4. Buta, R.; van Driel, W.; Braine, J.; Combes, F.; et al. (1995). "NGC 7217: A Spheroid-dominated, Early-Type Resonance Ring Spiral Galaxy". The Astrophysical Journal. 450: 593. Bibcode:1995ApJ...450..593B. doi:10.1086/176169.
  5. Merrifield, M.R.; Kuijken, K. (1994). "Counterrotating stars in the disk of the SAB galaxy NGC 7217". Astrophysical Journal. 432 (2): 575–589. Bibcode:1994ApJ...432..575M. doi:10.1086/174596. hdl: 1887/92276 .
  6. 1 2 3 Sil'Chenko, O.K.; Chillingarian, I.V.; Sotnikova, N.Y.; Afanasiev, Victor L. (2011). "Large-scale nested stellar discs in NGC 7217". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 414 (4): 3645–3655. arXiv: 1103.1692 . Bibcode:2011MNRAS.414.3645S. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2011.18665.x. S2CID   119299160.
  7. Sil'Chenko, O.K.; Moiseev, A.V. (2006). "Nature of Nuclear Rings in Unbarred Galaxies: NGC 7742 and NGC 7217". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (6): 1336–1346. arXiv: astro-ph/0512431 . Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1336S. doi:10.1086/499945. S2CID   14589261.
  8. Fabricius, M. H.; Coccato, Lodovico; Bender, R.; Drory, N.; Gössl, C.; Landriau, M.; Saglia, R. P.; Thomas, J.; Williams, M. J. (2009). "Regrowth of stellar discs in mature galaxies: the two-component nature of NGC 7217 revisited with VIRUS-W". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 441 (3): 2212–2229. arXiv: 1404.2272 . Bibcode:2014MNRAS.441.2212F. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu694. S2CID   119269888.