NGC 1222 is an early-type lenticular galaxy located in the constellation of Eridanus. The galaxy was discovered on 5 December 1883 by the French astronomer Édouard Stephan.[6] John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue, described it as a "pretty faint, small, round nebula" and noted the presence of a "very faint star" superposed on the galaxy.[6]
| NGC 1222 | |
|---|---|
 Image of NGC 1222, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Eridanus |
| Right ascension | 03h 08m 56.747s[1] |
| Declination | −02° 57′ 18.76″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.008079[2] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 2422 km/s[2] |
| Distance | 109 Mly (33.3 Mpc)[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.5[4] |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 13.5[4] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | S0− pec[2] |
| Size | 32,300 ly (9,890 pc) |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.1′ × 0.9′ |
| Notable features | Starburst galaxy |
| Other designations | |
| Mrk 603, MCG-01-09-005, PGC 11774[5] | |
NGC 1222's morphological type of S0− would suggest that it should have a mostly smooth profile and a very dull appearance. However, the galaxy was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016, and the image showed that there were several bright blue star forming regions, as well as dark reddish areas of interstellar dust.[7] NGC 1222 is currently interacting with and swallowing two dwarf galaxies that are supplying the gas and dust needed to become a starburst galaxy.[7]
One supernova has been observed in NGC 1222: SN 2024any (type Ia, mag. 17.59).[8]
See also
- NGC 1275, another starburst galaxy
References
External links
Media related to NGC 1222 at Wikimedia Commons
