NGC 1600
Image derived from data taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationEridanus
Right ascension4h 31m 39.9s[1]
Declination−5° 05′ 10″[1]
Redshift0.015614 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity4681 km/s[1]
Distance45,770 kpc (149,300 kly)[1]
Group or clustergroup [2]
Apparent magnitude (V)11.93[1]
Characteristics
TypeE3[1][3] or E4 [4]
Mass1×1012 [2] M☉
Mass/Light ratio10.58 [2] M☉/L☉
Apparent size (V)2.5 x 1.7 arcminutes[1]
Other designations
LEDA 15406,[3] PGC 15406[1]

NGC 1600 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Eridanus, 149 Mly (46 Mpc) away from Earth.[1]

Cluster membership

Often described as being an isolated early-type galaxy,[2] it is known to have at least 30 fainter satellite galaxies, including NGC 1601 and NGC 1603.[2] The galaxy has been observed to have boxy isophotes[2] and little rotation.[4] The presence of H-alpha indicates possible ongoing star formation, and the galaxy is a known source of X-ray emissions.[2] It is believed that NGC 1600 is the product of a galaxy merger[4] which took place over 4 Gyr ago.[2] The age of the galaxy is estimated at 4.6–8.8 Gyr.[2]

The system consisting of NGC 1600 and its surrounding galaxies shares some similarities to fossil galaxy groups, but is not exactly the same.[2] For example, it has an unusually high concentration of dark matter, similar to fossil groups. However, the X-ray luminosity is less than 5×1041 erg s−1, the threshold for fossil groups.[5]

Supermassive black hole

NGC 1600 has a diffuse distribution of stars near its center, caused by the influence of the galaxy's central black hole.[6] Despite NGC 1600 being of typical size, the supermassive black hole at its center is unusually large, with a mass of 17 billion solar masses (M☉),[6] making it one of the largest known.[7] At the time of the determination of the size of the black hole, in 2016, it was found to be unusual in its location in relation to the galaxy population of the region. Previously, extremely large black holes were only found in the hearts of large dense rich clusters, the galaxy group for which NGC 1600 is found is only an average galaxy group and not a rich cluster. This discovery could signify previously unknown populations of very large black holes, and that black hole growth models may be incorrect or incomplete.[8]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Results for NGC 1600". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Smith, Rodney M.; Martínez, Vicent J.; Fernández-Soto, Alberto; Ballesteros, Fernando J.; Ortiz-Gil, Amelia (2008-05-20). "NGC 1600: Cluster or Field Elliptical?". The Astrophysical Journal. 679 (420): 420–427. arXiv:0802.1846. Bibcode:2008ApJ...679..420S. doi:10.1086/587454. S2CID 16331294.
  3. ^ a b "NGC 1600 – Galaxy in Group of Galaxies". SIMBAD.
  4. ^ a b c Matthias, Michael; Gerhard, Ortwin (1999-12-11). "Dynamics of the boxy elliptical galaxy NGC 1600". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 310 (3): 879–891. arXiv:astro-ph/9901036. Bibcode:1999MNRAS.310..879M. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.03022.x. S2CID 14530337.
  5. ^ Runge, J.; Walker, S. A.; Mirakhor, M. S. (2021). "The unusually high dark matter concentration of the galaxy group NGC 1600". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 509 (2): 2647–2653. arXiv:2110.13931. doi:10.1093/mnras/stab3139.
  6. ^ a b Thomas, Jens; Chung-Pei, Ma; McConnell, Nicholas J.; Greene, Jenny E.; Blakeslee, John P.; Janish, Ryan (2016-04-06). "A 17-billion-solar-mass black hole in a group galaxy with a diffuse core". Nature. 532 (7599): 340–342. arXiv:1604.01400. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..340T. doi:10.1038/nature17197. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 27049949. S2CID 4454301.
  7. ^ "Supersized black hole discovery forces universal rethink". The Guardian. 2016-04-06. Archived from the original on 2022-12-29.
  8. ^ Sarah Lewin (6 April 2016). "Humongous black hole catches astronomers totally off guard". SPACE.com. Christian Science Monitor.
  9. ^ Jens Thomas; Mathias Jäger (6 April 2016). "Behemoth black hole found in an unlikely place". Hubble Space Telescope. heic1607. Retrieved 7 April 2016.

External links


New General Catalogue 1500 to 1999
Astronomical catalogs
Constellation of Eridanus
Categories