NGC 5866

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NGC 5866

NGC 5866, as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.
Observation data: J2000 epoch
Constellation: Draco
Right ascension: 15h 06m 29.5s[1]
Declination: +55° 45′ 48″[1]
Redshift: 672 ± 9 km/s[1]
Distance: 50 ± 3 Mly (15.3 ± 0.7 Mpc)[2]
Type: S0[1]
Apparent dimensions (V): 4′.7 x 1′.9[1]
Apparent magnitude (V): 10.7[1]
Notable features:
Other designations
Spindle Galaxy,[3] UGC 9723,[1] PGC 53933[1]
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies


NGC 5866 (also called the Spindle Galaxy) is a relatively bright lenticular galaxy in the constellation Draco. Some astronomers believe that the NGC 5866 may be Messier 102 if indeed M102 was not a mistaken double entry for M101.

NGC 5866 was probably discovered by Pierre Méchain or Charles Messier in 1781, and independently found by William Herschel in 1788.

Contents

[edit] Dust disk

One of the most outstanding features of NGC 5866 is the extended dust disk, which is seen exactly edge-on. This dust disk is highly unusual for a lenticular galaxy. The dust in most lenticular galaxies is generally found only near the nucleus and generally follows the light profile of the galaxies' bulges.[4][5] This dust disk may contain a ring-like structure, although the shape of this structure is difficult to determine given the edge-on orientation of the galaxy.[5] It is possible that this galaxy is a spiral galaxy that was misclassified as a lenticular galaxy because of its edge-on orientation, in which case the dust disk would be more typical.[4]

[edit] Galaxy group information

NGC 5866 is the one of brightest galaxy in the NGC 5866 Group, a small group of galaxies that also includes the spiral galaxies NGC 5879 and NGC 5907[6][7][8]. This small group may actually be a subclump at the northwest end of a large, elongated group that includes the M51 Group and the M101 Group, although most group identification methods and catalogs identify the three groups as separate entities[9].

[edit] See also

  • NGC 3115 - another lenticular galaxy referred to as the Spindle Galaxy
  • NGC 4710 - another lenticular galaxy viewed edge-on

[edit] External Links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Results for NGC 5866. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.
  2. ^ J. L. Tonry, A. Dressler, J. P. Blakeslee, E. A. Ajhar, A. B. Fletcher, G. A. Luppino, M. R. Metzger, C. B. Moore (2001). "The SBF Survey of Galaxy Distances. IV. SBF Magnitudes, Colors, and Distances". Astrophysical Journal 546 (2): 681-693. 
  3. ^ SIMBAD Astronomical Database. Results for NGC 5866. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.
  4. ^ a b G. J. Bendo, R. D. Joseph, M. Wells, P. Gallais, M. Haas, A. M. Heras, U. Klaas, R. J. Laureijs, K. Leech, D. Lemke, L. Metcalfe, M. Rowan-Robinson, B. Schulz, C. Telesco (2002). "An Infrared Space Observatory Atlas of Bright Spiral Galaxies". Astronomical Journal 123: 3067-3107. 
  5. ^ a b E. M. Xilouris, S. C. Madden, F. Galliano, L. Vigroux, M. Sauvage (2004). "Dust emission in early-type galaxies: The mid-infrared view". Astronomy & Astrophysics 416: 41-55. 
  6. ^ R. B. Tully (1988). Nearby Galaxies Catalog. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-35299-1. 
  7. ^ A. Garcia (1993). "General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement 100: 47-90. 
  8. ^ G. Giuricin, C. Marinoni, L. Ceriani, A. Pisani (2000). "Nearby Optical Galaxies: Selection of the Sample and Identification of Groups". Astrophysical Journal 543: 178-194. 
  9. ^ L. Ferrarese, H. C. Ford, J. Huchra, R. C. Kennicutt Jr., J. R. Mould, S. Sakai, W. L. Freedman, P. B. Stetson, B. F. Madore, B. K. Gibson, J. A. Graham, S. M. Hughes, G. D. Illingworth, D. D. Kelson, L. Macri, K. Sebo, N. A. Silbermann (2000). "A Database of Cepheid Distance Moduli and Tip of the Red Giant Branch, Globular Cluster Luminosity Function, Planetary Nebula Luminosity Function, and Surface Brightness Fluctuation Data Useful for Distance Determinations". Astrophysical Journal Supplement 128: 431-459. 
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