NGC 6902 is an unbarred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation of Sagittarius at an approximate distance of 124 million light-years (38.0 Mpc).[6] NGC 6902 was discovered on September 2, 1836 by English astronomer John Herschel.[9] In his New General Catalogue, Danish astronomer J. L. E. Dreyer described it as faint, considerably small, round, brighter middle.[10][11] It is a member of the small NGC 6092 group of galaxies; the LGG 434 group.[9]

NGC 6902
NGC 6902 imaged by SPECULOOS[1][2]
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationSagittarius
Right ascension20h 24m 28.067s[3]
Declination−43° 39′ 12.42″[3]
Redshift0.009300±0.000023[4]
Heliocentric radial velocity2793.9 km/s[5]
Distance124 Mly (38.0 Mpc)[6]
Group or clusterLGG 434
Apparent magnitude (V)10.93±0.18[6]
Apparent magnitude (B)11.64±0.18[6]
Characteristics
TypeSA(r)b[6]
Size~334,800 ly (102.64 kpc) (estimated)
Apparent size (V)3.55 × 2.69[7]
Other designations
Gaia DR2 6678974930431764096, IRAS 20210-4348, F20210-4348, 2MASX J20242813-4339127, NGC 6902, IC 4948, LEDA 64632, MCG -07-42-002, PGC 64632[8]

The morphological classification of NGC 6902 is SA(r)b,[6] indicating an unbarred spiral galaxy (SA) with an inner ring (r) and somewhat tightly wound arms (b). As the two arms extend outward, they transition into a complex system of filamentary arms. The galaxy has an angular size of 3.55 × 2.69 in the optical band.[7] The galactic plane is inclined at an angle of 38±5° to the line of sight from the Earth. NGC 6902 has a high abundance of neutral hydrogen; about three times greater than a typical galaxy of this class.[12] The ring structure is undergoing extensive star formation. Although classed as unbarred, there is a small bar of stars inside the ring.[9]

One supernova has been observed in NGC 6902: SN 2024uwq (type Ic-BL, mag. 17.4).[13]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NGC 6902 Caught by SPECULOOS". www.eso.org. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  2. ^ "ESO's Ganymede Telescope Captures Its First-Light Image: NGC 6902". SciNews. February 26, 2019. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  3. ^ a b Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2021). "Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 649: A1. arXiv:2012.01533. Bibcode:2021A&A...649A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657. S2CID 227254300. (Erratum: doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657e). Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  4. ^ De Vaucouleurs, Gerard; et al. (1991). Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. Bibcode:1991rc3..book.....D.
  5. ^ Meyer, M. J.; et al. (June 2004). "The HIPASS catalogue - I. Data presentation". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 350 (4): 1195–1209. arXiv:astro-ph/0406384. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.350.1195M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07710.x. S2CID 10336076.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Gil de Paz, Armando; Boissier, Samuel; Madore, Barry F.; Seibert, Mark; 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.
  7. ^ a b Paturel, G.; et al. (December 2003). "HYPERLEDA. I. Identification and designation of galaxies". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 412: 45–55. Bibcode:2003A&A...412...45P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031411.
  8. ^ "NGC 6902". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  9. ^ a b c de Lazaro, Enrico (February 9, 2021). "MUSE Sees Star-Forming Regions in NGC 6902". SciNews. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  10. ^ Frommert, Hartmut. "NGC 6902". Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  11. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC Objects: NGC 6900 - 6949". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  12. ^ Gallagher, J. S. (September 1979). "Optical studies of H I-rich southern galaxies. I. The supergiant spiral NGC 6902". Astronomical Journal. 84: 1281–1292. Bibcode:1979AJ.....84.1281G. doi:10.1086/112540.
  13. ^ "SN 2024uwq". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
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