Seyfert's Sextet
Seyfert's Sextet is a group of galaxies. It is located about 190 million light years away from Earth.[1] From Earth, it is in the constellation of Serpens. Although appears to have 6 members, one of the galaxies, NGC 6027d, is just a background galaxy and another member, NGC 6027e, is actually not a galaxy, it is just the tidal tail from the galaxy NGC 6027. All of the galaxies are violently interacting and will continue hundreds of millions of years. They all will collide into one giant elliptical galaxy.
Discovery
[change | change source]The group was discovered by Carl Keenan Seyfert in using photographic plates made at the Barnard Observatory of Vanderbilt University. The results were published in 1951. At the time, this group is the most compact galactic group ever identified.[2]
Members
[change | change source]There are 4 true members of the group, 1 background galaxy and 1 object that is now identified to be a tidal tail.
| Name | Type | Distance from Sun
(million ly) |
Apparent magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 6027 | S0 pec. | ~190 | +14.7 |
| NGC 6027a | Sa pec. | ~190 | +15.4 |
| NGC 6027b | S0 pec. | ~190 | +15.4 |
| NGC 6027c | SB(S)c | ~190 | +16 |
| NGC 6027d | SB(S)bc pec. | ~877[3] | +15.6 |
| NGC 6027e | SB0 pec. | ~190 | +16.5 |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Hubble Watches Galaxies Engage in Dance of Destruction". HubbleSite.org. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ↑ Seyfert, Carl K. (1951-04-01). "A Dense Group of Galaxies in Serpens". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 63 (371): 72. Bibcode:1951PASP...63...72S. doi:10.1086/126319. ISSN 1538-3873. S2CID 121288775.
- ↑ "Your NED Search Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-12.