IC 3418 is a galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is most well noted for its tidal tail, which formed after the galaxy collided with the Virgo Cluster some 54 million light years from Earth. The galaxy is home to many starburst regions.[3]

IC 3418
Composite image of visible and near-ultraviolet
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationVirgo
Right ascension12h 29m 43.919s[1]
Declination+11° 24′ 16.87″[1]
Redshift0.000127[1]
Heliocentric radial velocity38 km/s[1]
Distance55 mly (17 mpc)[2]
Group or clusterVirgo Cluster[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)14.0
Characteristics
TypeSm[1]
Apparent size (V)1.5 × 1.0
Other designations
UGC 07630, PGC 041207, DDO 130, VCC 1217.[1]

The galaxy is thought to be evolving from a dwarf irregular galaxy into a dwarf elliptical galaxy, as the ram pressure of the intracluster medium of the Virgo Cluster through which it is plowing through strips gas from the galaxy, leaving it gas poor, while concentrating the gas in the tidal tail, forming "fireballs" of star formation in its wake.[4] Although the more distant "fireballs" are older than the proximal ones, their star formation rates actually appear to be higher. This can be explained by the "fireballs" overcoming turbulent forces and collapsing from their own gravity, leading to higher star formation.[5]

Within the tail is the second most distant star ever detected, as of 2013, a blue supergiant, SDSS J122952.66+112227.8, illuminating a clump of gas.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "IC 3418 -- Galaxy in Cluster of Galaxies". SIMBAD. Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  2. ^ Gil de Paz, Armando; et al. (December 2007). "The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 173 (2): 185–255. arXiv:astro-ph/0606440. Bibcode:2007ApJS..173..185G. doi:10.1086/516636. S2CID 119085482.
  3. ^ a b "Astronomers Discover Star-Studded Galaxy Tail". NASA JPL. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  4. ^ Eric Gershon (12 June 2013). "Galaxy in its death throes may hold clues to birth of dwarf systems". SpaceDaily.
  5. ^ Hota, Ananda; Devaraj, Ashish; Pradhan, Ananta C.; Stalin, C. S.; George, Koshy; Mohapatra, Abhisek; Rey, Soo-Chang; Ohyama, Youichi; Vaddi, Sravani; Pechetti, Renuka; Sethuram, Ramya; Jose, Jessy; Roy, Jayashree; Konar, Chiranjib (2021). "The sharpest ultraviolet view of the star formation in an extreme environment of the nearest Jellyfish Galaxy IC 3418". Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy. 42 (2): 86. arXiv:2104.14325. Bibcode:2021JApA...42...86H. doi:10.1007/s12036-021-09764-w. S2CID 233444106.
  6. ^ Camille M. Carlisle (12 April 2013). "The Most Distant Star Ever Seen?". Sky and Telescope.
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