LEDA 74886, also known by its 2MASX designation 2MASX J03404323-1838431, and sometimes known as the Emerald-cut Galaxy,[4] is a dwarf galaxy with a rare rectangular shape.[2] It is located at a distance of about 70,000,000 light-years (21 Mpc) in the Eridanus constellation.[5] The galaxy was detected in a wide field of view image taken by the Subaru Telescope using the Subaru Prime Focus Camera (Suprime-Cam).[6][7] Using the Keck Telescope, a thin disc with a side on orientation was confirmed to be lurking at the center of LEDA 74886, and spinning at a speed of 33 km/s at the orbital radius of half a kpc.[2] LEDA 74886 has a mass of around 109 M☉ (Compared to the Milky Way's mass of about 1012 M☉).
| LEDA 74886 | |
|---|---|
 False color image of galaxy LEDA 74886, taken by the Subaru Telescope. The contrast of this image has been adjusted to highlight the internal disk/bar like structure. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Right ascension | 03h 40m 43.233s[1] |
| Declination | −18° 38′ 43.10″[1] |
| Distance | 70,000 kly (21,000 kpc) h−1 0.73 |
| Group or cluster | NGC 1407[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | S0 [3] |
| Mass | 1×109 M☉ |
| Other designations | |
| 2MASX J03404323-1838431, 6dFGS gJ034043.2-183843[1] | |
Location
editLEDA 74886 is located in the celestial sphere at a right ascension ( ) of 03h 40m 43.2s, and a declination ( ) of −18° 38′ 43″ (J2000). It is located within the Galactic corona of NGC 1407, a massive spherical galaxy which is located approximately 163,000 ly (50 kpc) to the northwest of LEDA 74886.[2]
See also
edit- SDSS J074018.17+282756.3 is a spiral galaxy with arms that have a somewhat squarish-looking interior, but is distinct from LEDA 74886, because LEDA 74886 has no apparent spiral structure and a boxy like exterior form.[2]
- Sextans A, a member of the local group, has a box like form due to its expanding shell of young blue stars, but it has a much lower mass and density, and includes a central disc which LEDA 74886 does not include.[2]
- NGC 4488
References
edit- ^ a b c "6dFGS gJ034043.2-183843". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Graham, Alister W.; Spitler, Lee R.; Forbes, Duncan A.; Lisker, Thorsten; Moore, Ben; Janz, Joachim (March 19, 2012). "Leda 074886: A Remarkable Rectangular-Looking Galaxy". The Astrophysical Journal. 750 (2): 121. arXiv:1203.3608. Bibcode:2012ApJ...750..121G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/750/2/121. S2CID 28425342.
- ^ NED, LEDA 074886 (accessed 20 March 2012)
- ^ Major, Jason (20 March 2012). "Rare Rectangle Galaxy Discovered". Universe Today. www.universetoday.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ^ Rachel Kaufman (March 20, 2012). "Rare "Emerald Cut" Galaxy Found". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Astronomers Discover Galaxy That Resembles An Emerald-Cut Diamond". Asian Scientist. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Surprising Discovery of a Rare "Emerald-Cut" Galaxy" (Press release). Subaru Telescope—National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.