Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Camelopardalis (Cam)  ·  Contains:  NGC 2146
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
NGC 2146, rflinn68
NGC 2146
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 2146

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
NGC 2146, rflinn68
NGC 2146
Powered byPixInsight

NGC 2146

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

NGC 2146 is a barred spiral galaxy of about 80,000 light-years across, located some 70 million light-years away in the northern constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe). It is receding from us at roughly 893 kilometers per second.

NCG 2146 is undergoing intense bursts of star formation, to such an extent that it is referred to as a very active “starburst galaxy”. The gravitational disruption that NGC 2146 endures is compressing hydrogen-rich nebulae and triggering stellar birth. This is probably the reason that this galaxy is a strong source of radio emission.

NGC 2146 is classified as a barred spiral due to its shape, but the most distinctive feature is the dusty spiral arm that has looped in front of the galaxy's core as seen from our perspective. The forces required to pull this structure out of its natural shape and twist it up to 45 degrees are colossal. The most likely explanation is that a neighbouring galaxy is gravitationally perturbing it and distorting the orbits of many of NGC 2146’s stars. It is probable that we are currently witnessing the end stages of a process which has been occurring for tens of millions of years.--NASA

Magnitude is 11.38 and apparent dimension is 6.0' X 3.4'

Comments

Revisions

  • NGC 2146, rflinn68
    Original
  • Final
    NGC 2146, rflinn68
    B

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

NGC 2146, rflinn68