Luminous infrared galaxy

Luminous infrared galaxy

A luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG), is a galactic body whose defining characteristic is in emitting more than 1011 solar luminosities in the far-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. A more luminous system, emitting more than 1012 solar luminosities in the far-infrared, is called ultraluminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG). An even more luminous system, emitting more than 1013 solar luminosities in the far-infrared, is called hyperluminous infrared galaxy (HLIRG). Most LIRGs and ULIRGs emit at least 90% of their light in the infrared.

Most LIRGs and all ULIRGs show signs of recent or continuing interactions and disruptions. Many are starburst galaxies, and some also contain an active galactic nucleus. ULIRGs are implicated in a variety of interesting astrophysical phenomena including the formation of quasars and elliptical galaxies. Local examples of ULIRGs are often used as analogs of galaxy formation at high redshift. ULIRGs seem to be embedded in dark matter halo with masses of around 10 trillion solar masses.

External links

* [http://www.skynightly.com/reports/Nearby_Extreme_Galaxies_Linked_To_Humble_Roots.html Nearby Extreme Galaxies Linked To Humble Roots] (SkyNightly) Jun 07, 2006
* [http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/How_To_Bake_A_Galaxy.html How To Bake A Galaxy] (SpaceDaily) Jun 19, 2006
* [http://goals.ipac.caltech.edu The Great Observatory All-sky LIRG Survey]

ee also

* II Zw 96 a luminous infrared galaxy containing young powerful starburst regions.
* NGC 6240 a luminous infrared galaxy with two nuclei.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ultra-luminous Infrared Galaxy — Galaxie lumineuse en infrarouge Fichier:IRAS 19297 0406.jpg La galaxie ultra lumineuse en infrarouge IRAS 19297 0406 En astronomie, une galaxie lumineuse en infrarouge (en anglais luminous infrared galaxy ou LIRG), est une galaxie dont la… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Galaxy — This article is about the astronomical structure. For other uses, see Galaxy (disambiguation). NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is about 55,000 light years in diameter and approximately 60 million light… …   Wikipedia

  • Luminous red nova — Luminous red novae (abbrev. LRNe ) (sing. luminous red nova ) are stellar explosions thought to be caused by the merger of two stars. They are characterised by a distinct red colour, and a light curve that lingers with resurgent brightness in the …   Wikipedia

  • Ultra-luminous X-ray source — Source X ultralumineuse En astrophysique, une source X ultralumineuse (de l anglais Ultraluminous X ray source), abrégée ULX désigne un objet astrophysique extrêmement lumineux dans le domaine des rayons X qui n est pas le trou noir supermassif… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ultra-luminous x-ray source — Source X ultralumineuse En astrophysique, une source X ultralumineuse (de l anglais Ultraluminous X ray source), abrégée ULX désigne un objet astrophysique extrêmement lumineux dans le domaine des rayons X qui n est pas le trou noir supermassif… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • galaxy — /gal euhk see/, n., pl. galaxies. 1. Astron. a. a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space. b. (usually cap.) See Milky Way. 2. any large and brilliant or impressive… …   Universalium

  • Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer — (WISE) WISE prior to its mission into orbit …   Wikipedia

  • Starburst galaxy — A starburst galaxy is a galaxy in the process of an exceptionally high rate of star formation, compared to the usual star formation rate seen in most galaxies. Galaxies are often observed to have a burst of star formation after a collision or… …   Wikipedia

  • Milky Way Galaxy — Large spiral galaxy (roughly 150,000 light years in diameter) that contains Earth s solar system. It includes the multitude of stars whose light is seen as the Milky Way, the irregular luminous band that encircles the sky defining the plane of… …   Universalium

  • Andromeda Galaxy — The Andromeda Galax …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”