NGC 604
| H-II area | |
|---|---|
| NGC 604 | |
|
|
| NGC 604, captured with the WFPC 2 camera of the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Constellation | triangle |
|
Position equinox : J2000.0 |
|
| Right ascension | 01h 34m 33.2s |
| declination | + 30 ° 47 ′ 06 ″ |
| Further data | |
| Brightness (visual) |
12 likes |
| Angular expansion |
1.95 |
| distance |
approx. 3 million ly / |
| Affiliation | |
| Redshift |
(−754 ± 40) · 10 −6 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity |
(−226 ± 12) km / s |
| diameter | 1500 ly |
| history | |
| discovery | |
| Date of discovery |
September 11, 1784 |
| Catalog names | |
| NGC 604 • IRAS 01317 + 3031 • | |
| Aladin previewer | |
NGC 604 is an H-II region in the galaxy Messier 33 in the constellation Triangle . It has an angular extent of about 1.95 '× 1.95' and was discovered by Wilhelm Herschel on September 11, 1784 . The designation results from the entry of the object in the New General Catalog compiled in the 1880s . NGC 604 is one of the largest known H-II areas.
NGC 604 lies in a spiral arm of the galaxy M33 , also known as the "Triangle Nebula". At a distance of 2.8 million light years , M33 is relatively close to us; she is a member of the Local Group , which our Milky Way also belongs to. M33 also contains other H-II regions, such as NGC 595 and NGC 592 .
NGC 604 is one of the largest star formation regions that astronomers have found in our direct neighbor galaxies . The area has an extension of around 1300 light years and contains more than 200 young and very hot stars (colored bluish due to the high temperature) that have only formed within the last three million years. Spectral analysis also suggests that the region contains about as many active, massive Wolf-Rayet stars as there are blue stars. Around 50 of them formed during a single phase of increased star formation around 4 million years ago.
The interstellar medium in NGC 604 has complex bubble structures and filaments . As far as we know today, these structures were created on the one hand by the strong stellar wind of the young, hot stars and on the other by supernova explosions.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ NASA / IPAC EXTRAGALACTIC DATABASE
- ↑ a b SEDS : NGC 604
- ↑ Seligman
- ^ Firestorm of Star Birth Seen in a Local Galaxy. Press release of the Space Telescope Science Institute of December 4, 2003.
- ↑ S. Dodorico and M. Rosa: Wolf-Rayet stars in the giant H II region NGC 604. In: Astrophysical Journal. Vol. 248, 1981, pp. 1015-1020. bibcode : 1981ApJ ... 248.1015D
- ^ Hui Yang et al: The Violent Interstellar Medium of NGC 604. In: Astronomical Journal. Vol. 112, 1996, p. 146. bibcode : 1996AJ .... 112..146Y
Web links
- Giant diffuse nebula and star forming region NGC 604 in M33
- NGC 604: X-rays from a giant star formation site - Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 5, 2009.
- NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery - Astronomy Picture of the Day of December 9, 2003.
- NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery - Astronomy Picture of the Day of November 2, 2002.
- Elements of Nearby Spiral M33 - Astronomy Picture of the Day, September 27, 2001.
- NGC 604: Giant Stellar Nursery - Astronomy Picture of the Day of April 11, 1998 (English).