NGC 972

NGC 972
NGC 972 taken by Hubble Space Telescope.[1]
Observation data (J2000[2] epoch)
ConstellationAries
Right ascension02h 34m 13.385s[3]
Declination+29° 18′ 40.47″[3]
Redshift0.005147[2]
Heliocentric radial velocity1,541 km/s[4]
Distance49.8 Mly (15.28 Mpc)[4]
Apparent magnitude (B)12.1[2]
Characteristics
TypeSb or Sd[5]
Mass1.2×1010 M☉[5] M☉
Apparent size (V)10 arcmin[6]
Other designations
LEDA 9788, MCG+05-07-010, UGC 2045[2]

NGC 972 is a dusty[5] spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Aries, located at an approximate distance of 49.8 Mly[4] from the Milky Way. It was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel. The galactic features suggest it may have undergone a merger with a gas-rich companion, giving it asymmetrical arms, plus starburst activity in the nucleus and an off-planar nuclear ring. The inner 3.6 kpc of the galaxy is undergoing star formation at the rate of 2.1–2.7 M☉·yr−1,[7] but it lacks a nuclear bulge.[5]

On October 16, 2008, a possible supernova event was observed about 16.2″ west and 19.5″ north of the Galactic Center. It reached magnitude 14.7 in the infrared K' band, but only a possible very faint transient event was observed in the visual frequency range, most likely as a result of strong extinction.[8]

The group of galaxies around NGC 972 is sometimes referred to as the "NGC 972 group," which includes NGC 1012, NGC 1056, UGC 1958, UGC 2017, UGC 2053, and UGC 2221.[9][10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference KST was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference simbad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Skrutskie2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Tully2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Mayya1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference InTheSky was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ravindranath1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dudley2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Vennik, J.; Richter, G. M. (1994). "Surface Photometry of Low-Surface-Brightness Galaxies in the Area of the NGC 972 Group of Galaxies". Symposium - International Astronomical Union. 161: 553–555. doi:10.1017/S0074180900048075. ISSN 0074-1809.
  10. ^ Vennik, J.; Richter, G. M. (1994). "Photometry of groups of galaxies. II. The NGC 972 group". Astronomische Nachrichten. 315 (3): 245–251. Bibcode:1994AN....315..245V. doi:10.1002/asna.2103150306. ISSN 1521-3994.