NGC 55

NGC 55
The irregular galaxy NGC 55, shot by the 3.6 meter telescope at ESO's La Silla observatory. NGC 55 as observed at ultraviolet wavelengths by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). Credit: NASA/JPL/GALEX.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Sculptor[1]
Right ascension	00h 14m 53.6s[2]
Declination	-39° 11′ 48″[2]
Redshift	129 ± 2 km/s[2]
Distance	7.2 ± 0.7 Mly (2.21 ± 0.21 Mpc)[3][4] [a]
Type	SB(s)m[2]
Apparent dimensions (V)	32′.4 × 5′.6[2]
Apparent magnitude (V)	7.87[5][6]
Other designations
PGC 1014,[2] Caldwell 72
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

NGC 55 (also known as Caldwell 72) is a barred irregular galaxy located about 7 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. Along with its neighbor NGC 300, it is one the closest galaxies to the Local Group, probably lying between us and the Sculptor Group.

Nearby galaxies and group information

NGC 55 and the spiral galaxy NGC 300 have traditionally been identified as members of the Sculptor Group, a nearby group of galaxies in the constellation of the same name. However, recent distance measurements indicate that the two galaxies actually lie in the foreground.^[7]

It is likely that NGC 55 and NGC 300 form a gravitationally bound pair.^[4]

Visual appearance

The Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook,^[8] writes the following about NGC 55: "Nearly edge-on and appears asymmetrical with some signs of dust near the bulge, which is diffuse, broad and somewhat elongated with the south edge sharp; southeast of the bulge it is strongly curved and lined with 4 or 5 faint knots; north edge of the curve is sharp." Burnham calls it "one of the outstanding galaxies of the southern heavens", somewhat resembling a smaller version of the Large Magellenic Cloud.^[9]

See also

• NGC 4236 – a similar edge-on spiral galaxy
• NGC 4631 – a similar edge-on spiral galaxy

Notes

1. ^{^} average(6.9 ± 0.7,^[3] 7.5 ± 1.1^[4]) = ((6.9 + 7.5) / 2) ± ((0.7² + 1.1²)^0.5 / 2) = 7.2 ± 0.7

References

1. ^ R. W. Sinnott, editor (1988). The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-933-34651-4. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 55. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 2006-10-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Karachentsev, I. D.; Kashibadze, O. G. (2006). "Masses of the local group and of the M81 group estimated from distortions in the local velocity field". Astrophysics 49 (1): 3–18. Bibcode 2006Ap.....49....3K. doi:10.1007/s10511-006-0002-6. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} van de Steene, G. C.; et al. (2006). "Distance determination to NGC 55 from the planetary nebula luminosity function". Astronomy and Astrophysics 455 (3): 891–896. Bibcode 2006A&A...455..891V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20053475. 
5. ^ "SIMBAD-NGC55". SIMBAD Astronomical Database. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=NGC+55. Retrieved 2009-11-29. 
6. ^ Armando, Gil de Paz; et al. (2007). "The GALEX Ultraviolet Atlas of Nearby Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 173 (2): 185–255. arXiv:astro-ph/0606440. Bibcode 2007ApJS..173..185G. doi:10.1086/516636. 
7. ^ I. D. Karachentsev et al. (2003). "Distances to nearby galaxies in Sculptor". Astronomy and Astrophysics 404 (1): 93–111. arXiv:astro-ph/0302045. Bibcode 2003A&A...404...93K. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20030170. 
8. ^ Jones, K. G. (1981). Webb Society Deep-Sky Observer's Handbook. Enslow Publishers. ISBN 0894901346. OLOL8249797M. 
9. ^ Robert Burnham, Jr. (1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook. III. New York: Dover. p. 1733. ISBN 0-486-24065-7. 

External links

• NGC 55 in Sculptor
• SEDS: Spiral Galaxy NGC 55
• NGC 55 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

Astronomical catalogs
NGC:	NGC 53 - NGC 54 - NGC 55 - NGC 56 - NGC 57
PGC:	PGC 1012 - PGC 1013 - PGC 1014 - PGC 1015 - PGC 1016

Coordinates: 00^h 14^m 53.6^s, −39° 11′ 48″