Mayall's Object

Mayall's Object (also classified under the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 148) is the result of two colliding galaxies located 500 million light years away within the constellation of Ursa Major. It was discovered by American astronomer Nicholas U. Mayall of the Lick Observatory on 13 March 1940, using the Crossley reflector.[4] When first discovered, Mayall's Object was described as a peculiar nebula, shaped like a question mark. Originally theorized to represent a galaxy reacting with the intergalactic medium,[5] it is now thought to represent the collision of two galaxies, resulting in a new object consisting of a ring-shaped galaxy with a tail emerging from it. It is thought that the collision between the two galaxies created a shockwave that initially drew matter into the center which then formed the ring.[6]

Mayall's Object
A Hubble Space Telescope image of Mayall's Object
Credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration, and A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationUrsa Major
Right ascension11h 03m 53.892s[1]
Declination+40° 50′ 59.89″[1]
Redshift0.034524[2]
Helio radial velocity10171 km/s[2]
Distance450 Mly (140 Mpc)[3]
Other designations
Arp 148, APG 148, VV 032, MCG+07-23-019[2]

Arp 148 was imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of a survey of what are thought to be colliding galaxies.[3] The image was taken with Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 instrument.[7] It was released along with 59 other images of this type in 2008 for that space telescopes' 18th anniversary.[3] (see also List of Hubble Space Telescope anniversary images)

See also

References
  1. Skrutskie, M.; et al. (2006). "The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (2): 1163–1183. Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S. doi:10.1086/498708.
  2. "APG 148". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. [email protected]. "Arp 148". www.spacetelescope.org. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  4. Smith, R. T. ; The Radial Velocity of a Peculiar Nebula ; Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 53, No. 313, p.187 Bibcode:1941PASP...53..187S
  5. Burbidge, E. Margaret The Strange Extragalactic Systems Mayall's Object and IC 883, Astrophysical Journal, vol. 140, p1619
  6. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2008/16/image/aa/ HubbleSite: Cosmic Collisions Galore!, April 24, 2008, accessed August 10, 2008
  7. "Arp 148& - Mayall's Object". www.jpl.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-11-10.

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