NGC 6621

NGC 6621
Hubble Space Telescope image of NGC 6621 (center) and NGC 6622 (left)
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationDraco
Right ascension18h 12m 55s[1]
Declination+68° 21′ 48″[1]
Redshift0.020652 ± 0.000007 [2]
Heliocentric radial velocity6191 ± 2 [2]
Distance265 Mly (81 Mpc)[3]
Apparent magnitude (B)13.6[1]
Characteristics
TypeSb pec [2]
Apparent size (V)1.9′ × 0.7′[2]
Other designations
Arp 81, UGC 11175, MCG +11-22-030, PGC 61582, CGCG 322-036, VV 247a

NGC 6621 is an interacting spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco. It lies at a distance of about 260 million light-years. NGC 6621 interacts with NGC 6622, with their closest approach having taken place about 100 million years ago.[4] The pair was discovered by Edward D. Swift and Lewis A. Swift on June 2, 1885. Originally NGC 6621 was assigned to the southeast galaxy, but now it refers to the northern one.[5] NGC 6621 and NGC 6622 are included in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 81 in the category "spiral galaxies with large high surface brightness companions".

NGC 6621 is the larger of the two, and is a very disturbed spiral galaxy. The encounter has pulled a long tail out of NGC 6621 that has now wrapped at the north behind its body. The collision has also triggered extensive star formation between the two galaxies. The most intense star formation takes place in the region between the two nuclei, where a large population of luminous clusters, also known as super star clusters, has been observed. At this region is observed the most tidal stress. Many large clusters are also observed in the tail and the nucleus of NGC 6621.[4][6] The brightest and bluest clusters are less than 100 million years old, with the youngest being less than 10 million years old. The side of the galaxy further from the companion features noticeably less star formation activity.[4]

NGC 6621 is characterised as a luminous infrared galaxy, with its infrared luminosity being 1011.24 L☉.[7] NGC 6621 contributes nearly all of the radio and far infrared flux of the pair. When observed in H-alpha, the centre of the galaxy has two bright sources separated by 3 arcseconds, with the southwest being brighter while the northeastern one coincides with the nucleus of NGC 6621.[8]

Two supernovae have been detected in NGC 6621. The first, SN 2010hi (type unknown, mag. 18), was discovered on 1 September 2010, lying 30" east and 4" north of the center of the galaxy.[9] The second, SN 2019hsx (type Ic-BL, mag. 18.6), was discovered on 2 June 2019.[10]

  1. ^ a b c "NGC 6621". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 6621. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  3. ^ Theureau, G.; Hanski, M. O.; Coudreau, N.; Hallet, N.; Martin, J.-M. (19 December 2006). "Kinematics of the Local Universe". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 465 (1): 71–85. arXiv:astro-ph/0611626. Bibcode:2007A&A...465...71T. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20066187. S2CID 14251529.
  4. ^ a b c Keel, William C.; Borne, Kirk D. (September 2003). "Massive Star Clusters in Ongoing Galaxy Interactions: Clues to Cluster Formation". The Astronomical Journal. 126 (3): 1257–1275. arXiv:astro-ph/0307025. Bibcode:2003AJ....126.1257K. doi:10.1086/377482. S2CID 14991984.
  5. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 6621 (= PGC 61579, and with NGC 6622 = Arp 81)". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  6. ^ "HubbleSite: Image - Hubble Interacting Galaxy NGC 6621". hubblesite.org. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  7. ^ Lu, Nanyao; Zhao, Yinghe; Díaz-Santos, Tanio; Xu, C. Kevin; Gao, Yu; Armus, Lee; Isaak, Kate G.; Mazzarella, Joseph M.; van der Werf, Paul P.; Appleton, Philip N.; Charmandaris, Vassilis; Evans, Aaron S.; Howell, Justin; Iwasawa, Kazushi; Leech, Jamie; Lord, Steven; Petric, Andreea O.; Privon, George C.; Sanders, David B.; Schulz, Bernhard; Surace, Jason A. (3 May 2017). "A Herschel Space Observatory Spectral Line Survey of Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies from 194 to 671 Microns". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 230 (1): 1. arXiv:1703.00005. Bibcode:2017ApJS..230....1L. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/aa6476. S2CID 28421031.
  8. ^ Hattori, T.; Yoshida, M.; Ohtani, H.; Sugai, H.; Ishigaki, T.; Sasaki, M.; Hayashi, T.; Ozaki, S.; Ishii, M.; Kawai, A. (February 2004). "A Study of the Distribution of Star-forming Regions in Luminous Infrared Galaxies by Means of H Imaging Observations". The Astronomical Journal. 127 (2): 736–757. arXiv:astro-ph/0311179. Bibcode:2004AJ....127..736H. doi:10.1086/381060. S2CID 18181421.
  9. ^ "SUPERNOVA 2010hi IN NGC 6621". Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. International Astronomical Union. 3 September 2010.
  10. ^ "SN 2019hsx". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 6 September 2024.