Circinus Galaxy

Circinus Galaxy
A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of the Circinus Galaxy. Credit: HST/NASA/ESA.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Circinus
Right ascension	14h 13m 9.9s[1]
Declination	-65° 20′ 21″[1]
Redshift	426 ± 25 km/s
Distance	13 Mly
Type	SA(s)b[1]
Apparent dimensions (V)	6′.9 × 3′.0[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	12.1[1]
Other designations
ESO 97-G13,[1] LEDA 50779
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

The Circinus Galaxy (ESO 97-G13) is a Seyfert Galaxy^[2] in the Circinus constellation. It is only 4 degrees below the Galactic plane, and 13 million light-years away. The galaxy is undergoing tumultuous changes, as rings of gas are being ejected from the galaxy. The outermost ring is 700 light-years from the center of the galaxy and the inner ring is 130 light-years out. The Circinus galaxy can be seen using a small telescope, however it was not noticed until 25 years ago because it was obscured by material from our own galaxy. The Circinus Galaxy is a Type II Seyfert galaxy and closest known active galaxy to the Milky Way.

Circinus Galaxy was a home for SN 1996cr, that has been identified over a decade after it exploded. The supernova was first singled out in 2001 as a bright, variable object in a Chandra image, but it was not confirmed as a supernova until years later.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for ESO 97-13. http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/. Retrieved 2007-04-20. 
2. ^ "SIMBAD Astronomical Database". Results for ESO 97-13. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/Simbad. Retrieved 2007-04-20. 

External links

• Chandra X observatory: Chandra Examines Black Holes Large and Small in Nearby Galaxy
• The Hubble European Space Agency Information Centre Hubble picture and information on Circinus Galaxy
• NASA APOD: The Circinus Galaxy - December 4, 2000

Coordinates: 14^h 13^m 9.9^s, −65° 20′ 21″

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circinus_Galaxy"