NGC 1277 | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Perseus |
Right ascension | 03h 19m 51.5s [1] |
Declination | 41° 34′ 25″ [1] |
Redshift | 0.016898 [1] |
Heliocentric radial velocity | 5066 km/s [1] |
Galactocentric velocity | 5168 km/s [1] |
Distance | 73 Mpc (240 Mly) [2] |
Group or cluster | Perseus Cluster [3] [2] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 14.66 [1] |
Characteristics | |
Type | S0^+, pec [1] |
Size | ~52,700 ly (16.16 kpc) (estimated) [1] |
Apparent size (V) | 1.0 x 0.4 [1] |
Other designations | |
PGC 12434, LGG 088 | |
References: [1] |
NGC 1277 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation of Perseus. It is a member of the Perseus Cluster of galaxies and is located approximately 73 Mpc (megaparsecs) [2] or 220 million light-years from the Milky Way. It has an apparent magnitude of about 14.7. It was discovered on December 4, 1875 by Lawrence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse.
NGC 1277 has been called a "relic of the early universe" due to its stars being formed during a 100 million year interval about 12 billion years ago. Stars were formed at a rate of 1000 times that of the Milky Way galaxy's formation rate in a short burst of time. After this process of stellar formation ran its course, NGC 1277 was left populated with metal-rich stars that are about 7 billion years older than the Sun. [2] It is still uncertain whether or not NGC 1277 is a "relic galaxy"; current studies are still researching the possibility. [4] [5] However, observations with Hubble Space Telescope indicate that NGC 1277 lacks metal-poor globular clusters, suggesting that it has accreted little mass over its lifetime and supporting the relic galaxy hypothesis. [6]
NGC 1277 has a very unusual rotation curve that suggests that it contains very little dark matter. [7]
Initial observations made using the Hobby–Eberly Telescope at Texas's McDonald Observatory suggested the presence of a black hole with a mass of about 1.7×1010 M☉ (17 billion solar masses), equivalent to 14% of the total stellar mass of the galaxy, due to the motions of the stars near the center of the galaxy. [8] This resulted in the initial claim that the black hole in NGC 1277 is one of the largest known in relation to the mass of its host galaxy.
A follow-up study, [9] based on the same data and published the following year, reached a very different conclusion. The black hole that was initially suggested at 1.7×1010 M☉ was not as massive as once thought. The black hole was estimated to be between 2 and 5 billion solar masses. This is less than a third of the previously estimated mass, a significant decrease. Models with no black hole at all were also found to provide reasonably good fits to the data, including the central region.
Subsequent investigations employed adaptive optics to acquire a better estimate of the mass of the black hole. [4] [5] One group made observations using the Gemini Near Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer to better determine the mass of the black hole at the center of NGC 1277. [4] The group used similar models to that of van den Bosch, but with higher spatial resolution. After using stellar dynamics and luminosity models to estimate the mass of the black hole, they came to a mass of 4.9×109 M☉, similar to the estimate from the follow-up study done by Emsellem, [9] which estimated a mass between 2–5 billion solar masses. More recently, a new group [5] made observations using the larger Keck Telescope with superior spatial resolution, and calculated that a black hole with mass 1.2×109 M☉ fits best. Moreover, this value is an order of magnitude smaller than first reported by van den Bosch, [8] and was noted to probably be an upper limit due to the edge-on rotating disk in NGC 1277.
A supermassive black hole is the largest type of black hole, with its mass being on the order of hundreds of thousands, or millions to billions, of times the mass of the Sun (M☉). Black holes are a class of astronomical objects that have undergone gravitational collapse, leaving behind spheroidal regions of space from which nothing can escape, including light. Observational evidence indicates that almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. For example, the Milky Way galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center, corresponding to the radio source Sagittarius A*. Accretion of interstellar gas onto supermassive black holes is the process responsible for powering active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars.
Messier 85 is a lenticular galaxy, or elliptical galaxy for other authors, in the Coma Berenices constellation. It is 60 million light-years away, and it is estimated to be 125,000 light-years across.
NGC 6166 is an elliptical galaxy in the Abell 2199 cluster. It lies 490 million light years away in the constellation Hercules. The primary galaxy in the cluster, it is one of the most luminous galaxies known in terms of X-ray emissions.
NGC 4203 is the New General Catalogue identifier for a lenticular galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on March 20, 1787 by English astronomer William Herschel, and is situated 5.5° to the northwest of the 4th magnitude star Gamma Comae Berenices and can be viewed with a small telescope. The morphological classification of NGC 4203 is SAB0−, indicating that it has a lenticular form with tightly wound spiral arms and a weak bar structure at the nucleus.
NGC 3862 is an elliptical galaxy located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785, NGC 3862 is an outlying member of the Leo Cluster.
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.
NGC 1271 is a compact elliptical or lenticular galaxy located about 250 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer Guillaume Bigourdan on November 14, 1884. NGC 1271 is a member of the Perseus Cluster and has a nuclear dust disk in its center. It also has an edge-on, intermediate-scale disk and has a central bulge. Like NGC 1277, NGC 1271 is a candidate "relic galaxy".
NGC 1281 is a compact elliptical galaxy located about 200 million light-years away in the constellation Perseus. NGC 1281 was discovered by astronomer John Dreyer on December 12, 1876. It is a member of the Perseus Cluster.
NGC 708 is an elliptical galaxy located 240 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 21, 1786. It is classified as a cD galaxy and is the brightest member of Abell 262. NGC 708 is a weak FR I radio galaxy and is also classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.
NGC 5982 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Draco. It is located at a distance of circa 130 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5982 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on May 25, 1788.
NGC 6951 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cepheus. It is located at a distance of about 75 million light-years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 6951 is about 100,000 light-years across. It was discovered by Jérôme Eugène Coggia in 1877 and independently by Lewis Swift in 1878.
NGC 3585 is an elliptical or a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Hydra. It is located at a distance of circa 60 million light-years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 3585 is about 80,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 9, 1784.
NGC 545 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Cetus. It is located at a distance of about 250 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 545 is about 180,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on October 1, 1785. It is a member of the Abell 194 galaxy cluster and is included along with NGC 547 in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
NGC 2974 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Sextans. It is located at a distance of circa 90 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 2974 is about 90,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on January 6, 1785. NGC 2974 is located in the sky about 2 and a half degrees south-south east of Iota Hydrae and more than 6 degrees northeast of Alphard. A 10th magnitude star lies next to the galaxy, thus making it a challenging object at low magnifications. NGC 2974 is part of the Herschel 400 Catalogue.
NGC 4298 is a flocculent spiral galaxy located about 53 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.
NGC 4561 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on April 13, 1784. This galaxy is located at a distance of 82 ± 14 million light-years (25.2 ± 4.3 Mpc) from the Milky Way, and is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It is 13th magnitude with an angular size of 1.5′.
NGC 4318 is a small lenticular galaxy located about 72 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on January 18, 1828. NGC 4318 is a member of the Virgo W′ group, a group of galaxies in the background of the Virgo Cluster that is centered on the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4365.
NGC 5252 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is located at a distance of about 220 to 320 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5252 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on February 2, 1786.