NGC 4550

NGC 4550
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Virgo
Right ascension 12h 35m 30.6s[1]
Declination +12° 13′ 15″[1]
Redshift 381 ± 9 km/s[1]
Distance 50.0 Mly
Type SB(s)00[1]
Apparent dimensions (V) 2′.85 × 0′.82[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 12.2[1]
Other designations
UGC 7757,[1] PGC 41943, VCC 1619[1]

NGC 4550 is a barred lenticular galaxy located in the constellation of Virgo that can be seen with amateur telescopes. It's at a distance of 50 million light-years (15.5 mega parsecs) from the Milky Way and is a member of the Virgo Cluster[2]

Physical characteristics

While NGC 4550 is not one of the brightest galaxies of the Virgo Cluster, its notable as it's one of the few galaxies where a large amount of its stars rotate around the galaxy's center in opposite direction to the others[3] (another, brighter, example is the spiral galaxy NGC 7217). The stars of this galaxy are concentrated in two disks of similar size and surface brightness, one nested within the other[3] and it has been suggested it's the product of the merger between two previous disk galaxies, each one counter-rotating with respect to the other.[4]

NGC 4550's center also shows a small amount of molecular hydrogen and interstellar dust,[3] the latter concentrated in a disk surrounding its core[5] where star formation is taking place albeit at a very modest level.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4550. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  2. ↑ Mei, S.; Blakeslee, J. P.; Côté, P.; Tonry, J.L.; West, M. J.; Ferrarese, L.; Jordán, A.; Peng, E. W. et al. (January 2007). "The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XIII. SBF Distance Catalog and the Three-dimensional Structure of the Virgo Cluster". The Astrophysical Journal 655 (1): 144–162. arXiv:astro-ph/0702510. Bibcode:2007ApJ...655..144M. doi:10.1086/509598.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wiklind, T.; Henkel, C. (September 2001). "Molecular gas and dust in NGC 4550. A galaxy with two counterrotating stellar disks". Astronomy & Astrophysics 375 (3): 797–804. arXiv:astro-ph/0106286. Bibcode:2001A&A...375..797W. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010860.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Crocker, A. F.; Jeong, H.; Komugi, S.; Combes, F.; Bureau, M.; Young, L. M.; Yi, S. (June 2009). "Molecular gas and star formation in the red-sequence counter-rotating disc galaxy NGC 4550". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 393 (4): 1255–1264. arXiv:0812.0178. Bibcode:2009MNRAS.393.1255C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.14295.x.
  5. ↑ Mei, S.; Côté, P.; Jordán, A.; Peng, E.W.; Blakeslee, J. P.; Piatek, S.; Mei, S.; Merritt, D. et al. (June 2006). "The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. VI. Isophotal Analysis and the Structure of Early-Type Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 164 (2): 334–434. arXiv:astro-ph/0602297. Bibcode:2006ApJS..164..334F. doi:10.1086/501350.

External links