NGC 4388

NGC 4388
Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 4388
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationVirgo
Right ascension12h 25m 46.820s[1]
Declination+12° 39′ 43.45″[1]
Redshift0.008419[2]
Heliocentric radial velocity2,524[2] km/s
Distance56.7 Mly (17.4 Mpc)[3]
Group or clusterVirgo Cluster[4]
Apparent magnitude (V)11.02[5]
Apparent magnitude (B)11.76[5]
Characteristics
TypeSA(s)b[4]
Mass26.4+16.4
−10.1×109[3] M☉
Size120 kly (36 kpc)[2]
Apparent size (V)6.2′ × 1.674′[2]
Other designations
NGC 4388, UGC 7520, MCG +02-32-041, PGC 40581[5]
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox galaxy with unknown parameter "image_size"

NGC 4388 is an active spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation of Virgo. It was discovered April 17, 1784 by Wilhelm Herschel.[6] This galaxy is located at a distance of 57 million light years[3] and is receding with a radial velocity of 2,524km/s.[2]  It is one of the brightest galaxies of the Virgo Cluster due to its luminous nucleus. NGC 4388 is located 1.3° to the west of the cluster center, which translates to a projected distance of ≈400 kpc.[4]

The NGC 4388 galaxy has been assigned a morphological class of SA(s)b, which indicates it is a spiral with no central bar (SA) or inner ring structure (s), and has moderately-wound spiral arms (b). It is inclined at an angle of 79° to the line of sight from the Earth and thus is being viewed from nearly edge-on. The major axis of the elliptical profile is aligned with a position angle of 92°.[4]

The interstellar medium of the galaxy has recently undergone a stripping event due to ram pressure, causing star formation to steeply decline some 190±30 Myr ago. The galaxy may have passed close to the cluster center around 200 Myr ago, which led to the loss of much of its neutral hydrogen from interaction with the inter-cluster medium.[4]

This is a classic Type 2 Seyfert galaxy where the emission from the active galactic nucleus is being concealed by a torus of obscuring gas and dust.[7] The supermassive black hole at the core has a mass of (8.5±0.2)×106 M☉, which has a hot corona with a temperature energy of 80+40
−20 keV that is producing X-ray emission.[8] There is a strong nuclear outflow to the north and south that extends out as far as 5 kpc from the core. These flows have a mean velocity of 270±70 km·s−1.[4]

NGC 4388 has a large extended emission-line region (EELR) that has a length of around 35 kpc, stretching beyond the galaxy. This emission cloud is created when the supermassive black hole is active and its radiation ionizes gas from its galaxy. In the case of NGC 4388 it is suggested that the gas was first stripped from the galaxy either via tidal interaction or via ram pressure and later ionized.[9] A small H II region, known as the GAFO Region, ionised by a 3.3 million years old star cluster, is located within this region.[10]

One supernova has been observed in NGC 4388: SN 2023fyq (type Ib-pec, mag. 19.5 at discovery).[11]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Skrutskie_et_al_2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference ned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Lianou_et_al_2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference Damas-Segovia_et_al_2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference SIMBAD was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference de_lazaro2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Elvis_et_al_2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ursini_et_al_2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Yoshida, Michitoshi; Yagi, Masafumi; Okamura, Sadanori; Aoki, Kentaro; Ohyama, Youichi; Komiyama, Yutaka; Yasuda, Naoki; Iye, Masanori; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Doi, Mamoru; Furusawa, Hisanori; Hamabe, Masaru; Kimura, Masahiko; Miyazaki, Masayuki; Miyazaki, Satoshi (2002-03-01). "Discovery of a Very Extended Emission-Line Region around the Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 4388". The Astrophysical Journal. 567 (1): 118–129. arXiv:astro-ph/0110473. Bibcode:2002ApJ...567..118Y. doi:10.1086/338353. ISSN 0004-637X.
  10. ^ Gerhard, Ortwin; Arnaboldi, Magda; Freeman, Kenneth C.; Okamura, Sadanori (2002-11-04). "Isolated Star Formation: A Compact H II Region in the Virgo Cluster*". The Astrophysical Journal. 580 (2): L121. doi:10.1086/345657. ISSN 0004-637X.
  11. ^ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2023fyq. Retrieved 26 July 2023.