Phoenix Dwarf

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Phoenix Dwarf
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Phoenix constellation
Right ascension 01h 51m 06.3s[1]
Declination -44° 26′ 41″[1]
Redshift 60 ± 30 km/s[1]
Distance 1.44 ± 0.07 Mly (440 ± 20 kpc)[2][3]
Type IAm[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 4′.9 × 4′.1[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 13.1[1]
Notable features -
Other designations
ESO 245- G 007,[1] PGC 6830[1]
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

The Phoenix Dwarf is a dwarf galaxy and an irregular galaxy that was discovered in 1976 by Hans-Emil Schuster and Richard Martin West and mistaken for a globular cluster.[4][5] It is currently 1.44 Mly away from Earth. Its name comes from the fact that it is part of the Phoenix constellation.

[edit] Characteristics

The Phoenix dwarf has an inner part of young stars running in an east-west direction and an outer part of mainly old stars that runs north-south. The central region's rate of star formation seems to have been relatively constant across time (Martínez-Delgado et al. 1999). In 1999, St-Germain et al. discovered a H I region of about 105 M☉ just to the west of Phoenix. Its radial velocity is -23 km/sec and may be physically associated with Phoenix if it is found to have a similar radial velocity.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Results for Phoenix Dwarf. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
  2. ^ I. D. Karachentsev, V. E. Karachentseva, W. K. Hutchmeier, D. I. Makarov (2004). "A Catalog of Neighboring Galaxies". Astronomical Journal 127: 2031–2068. doi:10.1086/382905. 
  3. ^ Karachentsev, I. D.; Kashibadze, O. G. (2006). "Masses of the local group and of the M81 group estimated from distortions in the local velocity field". Astrophysics 49 (1): 3–18. doi:10.1007/s10511-006-0002-6. 
  4. ^ Schuster, H.-E. & West, R. M., “A very distant globular cluster?”, Astronomy & Astrophysics 49: 129 - 131, <http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1976A%26A....49..129S> 
  5. ^ Canterna, R. & Flower, P. J. (March 1977), “A new dwarf irregular galaxy in the constellation Phoenix.”, Astrophysical Journal 212 (Letters): L57 - L58, <http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1977ApJ...212L..57C> 
  6. ^ van den Bergh, Sidney (April 2000), “Updated Information on the Local Group”, The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 112 (770): 529-536, <http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2000PASP..112..529V>