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NGC 986

NGC 986
NGC 986 taken by the FORS instrument on ESO’s VLT.[1]
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationFornax
Right ascension02h 33m 34.349s[2]
Declination−39° 02′ 42.21″[2]
Redshift0.006606[3]
Heliocentric radial velocity1,942±10 km/s[4]
Distance76 Mly (23.2 Mpc)[4][5]
56 million ly[1]
Group or clusterFornax Cluster[6]
Apparent magnitude (V)10.9[6]
Apparent magnitude (B)11.74[3]
Characteristics
Type(R′1)SB(rs)b[4]
Apparent size (V)3′.8 × 1′.9[6]
Other designations
IRAS 02315-3915, 2MASX J02333434-3902422, NGC 986, LEDA 9747, MCG -07-06-015

NGC 986 is a barred spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Fornax, located about 76 million light-years away.[4][5] It was discovered on August 5, 1826, by the Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, who described it as a "faint nebula, of an irregular round figure". The galaxy has an angular size of 3′.8 × 1′.9 with a visual magnitude of 10.9. It belongs to the Fornax Cluster of galaxies.[6] This galaxy has a nearby companion, NGC 986A, at an angular separation of 17′, corresponding to a projected separation of 110 kpc. The two appear unconnected.[5]

The morphological class of NGC 986 is (R′1)SB(rs)b,[4] indicating this is a barred spiral (SB) with an outer pseudo-ring (R′1), an incomplete inner ring (rs), and moderately wound spiral arms (b). The galactic plane is inclined at an angle of 37° to the line of sight from the Earth. The resulting ellipsoidal profile has its major axis aligned along a position angle of 127°.[4]

The nucleus of NGC 986 is undergoing intense star formation[5] and there is an H II region at the core. The large central bar extends ~14 kpc and is rich in dense gas.[4] The galaxy contains two large, extended and slightly warped arms that begin at each end of the central bar, forming an S-shape. There may be a tidally-disrupted dwarf galaxy at the end of its northern arm.[5]

One supernova has been observed in NGC 986: SN 2018lei (type Ic, mag. 16.8).[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "An Often Ignored Beauty". European Southern Observatory. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b Skrutskie, Michael F.; et al. (1 February 2006). "The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (2): 1163–1183. Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S. doi:10.1086/498708. ISSN 0004-6256. S2CID 18913331.
  3. ^ a b "NGC 986". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Kohno, Kotaro; et al. (June 2008). "ASTE CO(3-2) Observations of the Southern Barred Spiral Galaxy NGC 986: a Large Gaseous Bar Filled with a Dense Molecular Medium". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 60 (3): 457–464. arXiv:0805.1491. Bibcode:2008PASJ...60..457K. doi:10.1093/pasj/60.3.457.
  5. ^ a b c d e Hameed, Salman; Young, Lisa M. (June 2003). "The Role of Interactions in the Evolution of Highly Star-forming Early-Type (Sa-Sab) Spiral Galaxies". The Astronomical Journal. 125 (6): 3005–3024. Bibcode:2003AJ....125.3005H. doi:10.1086/375325. S2CID 122421859.
  6. ^ a b c d O'Meara, Stephen James (2013). Deep-Sky Companions: Southern Gems. Cambridge University Press. p. 44. ISBN 9781139851541.
  7. ^ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2018lei. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
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