Kiso 5639
Dwarf galaxy in Ursa Major From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kiso 5639 (also known as LEDA 36252, KUG 1138+327 or the Skyrocket Galaxy) is an irregular dwarf galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, approximately 85 million light-years from Earth.[1] It has an elongated and flattened shape, with a maximum diameter that extends for approximately 2,700 light years.[2] The new stars are distributed in about ten groups and have a mass corresponding to about one million solar masses. This intense activity also corresponds to the presence of areas in which the matter is rarefied, which were probably formed following a combination of stellar winds and supernovae explosions.[3] The starburst of the galaxy is believed to have occurred around one million years ago.[4]
| Kiso 5639 | |
|---|---|
Kiso 5639, photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Right ascension | 11h 41m 07.5s |
| Declination | +32° 25′ 37″ |
| Redshift | z = 0,00606 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1.796 km/s |
| Distance | 85 million ly |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Dwarf galaxy, starburst galaxy |
| Size | 2,700 ly |
| Other designations | |
| LEDA 36252
KUG 1138+327 SDSS J114107.48+322537.2 SDSS J114107.49+322537.3 The Skyrocket Galaxy | |
References: [1] | |
Etymology
Kiso 5639 has been referred to as the Skyrocket Galaxy, an informal name due to it being described as resembling a "July 4th skyrocket" by NASA.[2] It has also been informally called the Rocket Galaxy due to its "tail" structure and brightness at the head.[2][5]
Morphology
Kiso 5639 has an extremely irregular shape. At the head is an intense concentration of stars compared to the rest of the galaxy,[6] such that it resembles a tadpole.[7] This area of high intensity is determined by the presence of abundant concentrations of hydrogen gas and intense star formation activity.[4] The galaxy has an elongated and flattened "pancake"[8] shape, with a maximum diameter that extends for approximately 2,700 light years.[2]
Discovery
Kiso 5639 was discovered in 2004 using the Hubble Space Telescope, and was further observed in February and July of 2015 with the Wide Field Camera 3.[2]
Star formation
Faint areas of star formation are present in other parts of the galaxy, with stellar elements ranging in age from several million to a few billion years.[2] These data were collected from observations made by the Hubble Space Telescope during 2015 and were published in The Astrophysical Journal.[9] The starburst is believed to have begun approximately one million years ago following the galaxy's encounter with a filament of intergalactic gas.[4] The new stars in the galaxy are distributed in about ten groups and have a mass corresponding to about one million solar masses.[citation needed]
Gallery
See also
References
Further reading
External links
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