NGC 1659

NGC 1659
NGC 1659 imaged by SDSS
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationEridanus
Right ascension04h 46m 29.9333s
Declination−04° 47′ 19.812″
Redshift0.015581±0.0000190
Heliocentric radial velocity4,671±6 km/s
Distance142.92 ± 19.01 Mly (43.818 ± 5.828 Mpc)
Group or clusterNGC 1667 group (LGG 118)
Apparent magnitude (V)13.14
Characteristics
TypeSA(r)bc pec
Size~72,700 ly (22.28 kpc) (estimated)
Apparent size (V)1.6′ × 1.1′
Other designations
IRAS 04440-0452, 2MASX J04462995-0447193, NGC 1677, MCG -01-13-006, PGC 15977

NGC 1659 is a peculiar spiral galaxy in the constellation of Eridanus. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 4,634±6 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 222.9 ± 15.6 Mly (68.35 ± 4.79 Mpc). However, 11 non-redshift measurements give a much closer mean distance of 142.92 ± 19.01 Mly (43.818 ± 5.828 Mpc). It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 28 November 1786. The galaxy was also observed by American astronomer Lewis Swift on 22 October 1886, and listed as NGC 1677.

NGC 1659 is a Seyfert II galaxy, i.e. it has a quasar-like nucleus with very high surface brightnesses whose spectra reveal strong, high-ionisation emission lines, but unlike quasars, the host galaxy is clearly detectable.

NGC 1667 group

NGC 1659 is a member of the NGC 1667 galaxy group (also known as LGG 118). This group contains at least nine galaxies, including NGC 1645 [fr], NGC 1667, IC 387 [fr], IC 2097 [fr], IC 2101 [fr], MCG -01-13-012 [d], PGC 15779 [d] and PGC 16061 [d].

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Results for object NGC 1659". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA and Caltech. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Distance Results for NGC 1659". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 Garcia, A. M. (1993). "General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 100: 47. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G.
  4. 1 2 3 Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 1677". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 1659". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Seligman, Courtney. "Index Catalogue Objects: IC 2099". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  7. ↑ Chen, Yan-Ping; Zaw, Ingyin; Farrar, Glennys R.; Elgamal, Sana (2022). "A Uniformly Selected, Southern-sky 6dF, Optical AGN Catalog". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 258 (2): 29. arXiv:2111.13217. Bibcode:2022ApJS..258...29C. doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ac4157.
  8. ↑ "NGC 1659". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  9. ↑ "LGG 118". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 11 September 2026.

Notes

  1. ↑ Both SIMBAD and NED list NGC 1677 as being the same galaxy as IC 2099 [de], but this is an error introduced with the RNGC.