NGC 4848

NGC 4848 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is circa 340 million light-years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 4848 is about 170,000 light years across. It was discovered by Heinrich d'Arrest on April 21, 1865.[3] It is considered part of the Coma Cluster, which is in its northwest part. The galaxy has been stripped of its gas as it passed through the cluster.[4]

NGC 4848
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the galaxy
Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationComa Berenices
Right ascension12h 58m 05.6s[1]
Declination+28° 14′ 34″[1]
Redshift0.023513 ± 0.000033
Helio radial velocity7,049 ± 10 km/s[1]
Distance340 ± 15 Mly (104 ± 4.5 Mpc)[1]
Group or clusterComa cluster
Apparent magnitude (V)13.7[2]
Characteristics
TypeSBab: sp[1]
Apparent size (V)1′.6 × 0′.5[1]
Notable featuresHydrogen tail
Other designations
UGC 8082, MCG +05-31-039, CGCG 160-055, PGC 44405, 5C 04.058[1]

Characteristics

NGC 4848 is a spiral galaxy viewed nearly edge-on that is classified as SBab by de Vaucouleurs. Its nucleus is active, and it has been categorised as an HII region.[5] A number of bright HII regions form a ring around the nucleus with a radius of 5–10 arcseconds. The star formation rate is estimated to be 9 M☉ per year based on the H-alpha, ultraviolet, infrared and radio luminosity.[4]

The galaxy distribution of hydrogen gas is asymmetrical and forms a tail pointing away from the cluster center. The tail has projected dimensions of 62.5 by 18.5 kpc and an estimated hydrogen mass of 4×109 M☉. The tail was probably formed as a result of ram pressure as the galaxy passed through the Coma Cluster and its intergalactic medium at a speed of about 1,330 km/s, starting 200 million years ago according to Fossati et al.,[4] while a previous study indicated a timeline of 400 million years.[6] The lost hydrogen is estimated to comprise two thirds of the original hydrogen content of the galaxy.[6] A few star-forming regions, probably HII regions, are in the tail.[4]

A dwarf galaxy may cross the disk of NGC 4848; however, its mass is too low to be a source of the hydrogen tail.[6]

See also
  • NGC 4921, a spiral galaxy in the Coma Cluster that has lost its hydrogen

References
  1. "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4848. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  2. "Revised NGC Data for NGC 4848". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  3. Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 4848 (= PGC 44405)". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. Fossati, Matteo; Gavazzi, Giuseppe; Boselli, Alessandro; Fumagalli, Michele (August 2012). "65 kpc of ionized gas trailing behind NGC 4848 during its first crossing of the Coma cluster". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 544: A128. arXiv:1207.4806. Bibcode:2012A&A...544A.128F. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219933. S2CID 54086133.
  5. Gavazzi, G.; Savorgnan, G.; Fumagalli, Mattia (October 2011). "The complete census of optically selected AGNs in the Coma supercluster: the dependence of AGN activity on the local environment". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 534: A31. arXiv:1107.3702. Bibcode:2011A&A...534A..31G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201117461. S2CID 73621726.
  6. Vollmer, B.; Braine, J.; Balkowski, C.; Cayatte, V.; Duschl, W. J. (August 2001). "12CO(1-0) observations of NGC 4848: A Coma galaxy after stripping". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 374 (3): 824–838. arXiv:astro-ph/0107049. Bibcode:2001A&A...374..824V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010800. S2CID 2910811.
  • Media related to NGC 4848 at Wikimedia Commons
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