Messier 58
Messier 58 | |
---|---|
Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Virgo[1] |
Right ascension | 12h 37m 43.5s[2] |
Declination | +11° 49′ 05″[2] |
Redshift | 0.00506[2] |
Heliocentric radial velocity | 1517 ± 1 km/s[2] |
Distance | 62 Mly (19.1 Mpc) (NED)[3] 68 Mly[4] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.7[5] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SAB(rs)b; LINER Sy1.9[2] |
Apparent size (V) | 5.9′ × 4.7′[2] |
Other designations | |
NGC 4579, UGC 7796, PGC 42168, VCC 1727, GC 3121[2] |
Messier 58 (also known as M58 and NGC 4579) is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a weak inner ring structure located within the constellation Virgo, approximately 68 million light-years away from Earth.[6][7] It was discovered by Charles Messier on April 15, 1779 and is one of four barred spiral galaxies that appear in Messier's catalogue.[8][9][10][11][12][Note 1] M58 is one of the brightest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster.[13][14] From 1779 it was arguably (though unknown at that time) the farthest known astronomical object[15] until the release of the New General Catalogue in the 1880s and even more so the publishing of redshift values in the 1920s.
Early observations
[edit]Charles Messier discovered Messier 58, along with the elliptical galaxies Messier 59 and Messier 60, on April 15, 1779.[11] M58 was reported on the chart of the Comet of 1779 as it was almost on the same parallel as the star Epsilon Virginis.[8][16] Messier described M58 as a very faint nebula in Virgo which would disappear in the slightest amount of light he used to illuminate the micrometer wires.[8][17] This description was later contradicted by John Herschel's observations in 1833 where he described it as a very bright galaxy, especially towards the middle. Herschel's observations were also similar to the descriptions of both John Dreyer and William Henry Smyth who said that M58 was a bright galaxy, mottled, irregularly round and very much brighter toward the middle.[8]
Characteristics
[edit]Like many other spiral galaxies of the Virgo Cluster (e.g. Messier 90), Messier 58 is an anemic galaxy with low star formation activity concentrated within the galaxy's optical disk,[18] and relatively little neutral hydrogen, also located inside its disk, concentrated in clumps,[19] compared with other galaxies of similar morphological type. This deficiency of gas is believed to be caused by interactions with Virgo's intracluster medium.
Messier 58 has a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus, where a starburst may be present[20] as well as a supermassive black hole with a mass of around 70 million solar masses.[21] It is also one of the very few galaxies known to possess a UCNR (ultra-compact nuclear ring), a series of star-forming regions located in a very small ring around the center of the galaxy.[22] This led to its being dubbed the "ring bearer galaxy" by the popular astronomy YouTube program "Deep Sky videos".[15]
Supernovae
[edit]Two supernovae have been studied in the M58 galaxy.[2] A type II supernova dubbed as SN 1988A was discovered by Kaoru Ikeya, Robert Evans, Christian Pollas and Shingo Horiguchi on January 18, 1988.[23] It had an apparent magnitude of 13.5 found 40 arcseconds south of its center.[11] A Type I supernova dubbed as SN 1989M was then found on June 28, 1989 by Kimeridze.[11] This one had an apparent magnitude of 12.2 found 33 arcseconds north and 44 arcseconds west of its nucleus.[11]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The other barred spiral galaxies in Messier's catalogue are Messier 91, Messier 95 and Messier 109
References
[edit]- ^ Sinnott, R. W., ed. (1988). The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-933346-51-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for MESSIER 058. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
- ^ "Distance Results for MESSIER 058". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
- ^ Gavazzi, G.; Boselli, A.; Scodeggio, M.; Pierini, D.; Belsole, E. (1999-04-15). "The 3D structure of the Virgo cluster from H-band Fundamental Plane and Tully--Fisher distance determinations". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 304 (3): 595–610. arXiv:astro-ph/9812275. Bibcode:1999MNRAS.304..595G. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02350.x. ISSN 0035-8711. S2CID 41700753 – via Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Messier 58". SEDS Messier Catalog. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Messier 58 Galaxy" (PDF). Solarius. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-11. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
- ^ "M 58". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ a b c d "Messier 58: Observations and Descriptions". SEDS. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ Burnham, Robert Jr (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook: Volume Three, Pavo Through Vulpecula. Dover. pp. 2086–2088. ISBN 978-0-486-23673-5.
- ^ Liller, William (1992). The Cambridge guide to astronomical discovery. Cambridge University Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-521-41839-3.
- ^ a b c d e "Messier 58". SEDS. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ "Oceanside Photo and Telescope". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
- ^ "Messier Object 58". Archived from the original on 1996-12-25. Retrieved 2006-11-18.
- ^ "Messier Catalog M51 - M60". SEASKY. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
- ^ a b Smethurst, Dr Rebecca; Haran, Brady (7 February 2018). "The Ring Bearer Galaxy (M58) - Deep Sky Videos". Deep Sky Videos. Brady Haran and University of Nottingham. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Charles Messier's Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters". SEDS: Charles Messier's Catalog. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ "Catalog of Nebulae and Star Clusters". SEDS: Observed at Paris by M. Messier. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ Koopmann, R. A.; Kenney, J. D. P. (2004). "Hα Morphologies and Environmental Effects in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal. 613 (2): 866–885. arXiv:astro-ph/0406243. Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..866K. doi:10.1086/423191. S2CID 17519217.
- ^ Cayatte, V.; van Gorkom, J. H.; Balkowski, C.; Kotanyi, C. (1990). "VLA observations of neutral hydrogen in Virgo Cluster galaxies. I - The Atlas". The Astronomical Journal. 100: 604–634. Bibcode:1990AJ....100..604C. doi:10.1086/115545.
- ^ Contini, Marcella (2004). "The complex structure of low-luminosity active galactic nuclei: NGC 4579". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 354 (3): 675–683. arXiv:astro-ph/0407379. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.354..675C. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08222.x. S2CID 16380554.
- ^ Merloni, Andrea; Heinz, Sebastian; di Matteo, Tiziana (2003). "A Fundamental Plane of black hole activity". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 345 (4): 1057–1076. arXiv:astro-ph/0305261. Bibcode:2003MNRAS.345.1057M. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2966.2003.07017.x. S2CID 14310323.
- ^ Comerón, S.; Knapen, J. H.; Beckman, J. E. (2008). "Discovery of Four New Ultra-compact Nuclear Rings in Three Spiral Galaxies". Pathways Through an Eclectic Universe. ASP Conference Series. Vol. 390. p. 172. Bibcode:2008ASPC..390..172C.
- ^ "List of Supernovae". IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Archived from the original on 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
External links
[edit]- SEDS Messier: M58
- Spitzer Space Telescope page on Messier 58
- Messier 58 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images