Sunflower Galaxy

Sunflower Galaxy
M63 from GALEX sky survey
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Canes Venatici
Right ascension	13h 15m 49.3s[1]
Declination	+42° 01′ 45″[1]
Redshift	504 km/s[1]
Distance	37 Mly[2]
Type	SA(rs)bc[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)	12′.6 × 7′.2[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	9.3[1]
Other designations
M63, NGC 5055, UGC 8334, PGC 46153[1]
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

The Sunflower Galaxy (also known as Messier 63, M63, or NGC 5055) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici consisting of a central disc surrounded by many short spiral arm segments. The Sunflower Galaxy is part of the M51 Group, a group of galaxies that also includes the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51).

History

The Sunflower Galaxy was discovered by Pierre Méchain on June 14, 1779.^[3] The galaxy was then listed by Charles Messier as object 63 in the Messier Catalogue.

In the mid-19th century, Lord Rosse identified spiral structure within the galaxy, making this one of the first galaxies in which such structure was identified.^[3]

In 1971, a supernova with a magnitude of 11.8 appeared in one of the arms of M63.

Gallery

• 

  Messier 63, 24 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, AZ.

• 

  Messier 63 seen in infrared by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 5055. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 2006-10-10. 
2. ^ Frommert, Hartmut & Kronberg, Christine (2002). "Messier Object 63". Retrieved Dec. 6, 2006
3. ^ ^{a b} K. G. Jones (1991). Messier's Nebulae and Star Clusters (2nd edition ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-37079-5. 

External links

• The Sunflower Galaxy on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
• Sunflower Galaxy @ SEDS Messier pages

Coordinates: 13^h 15^m 49.3^s, +42° 01′ 45″