NGC 3256

Galaxie
NGC 3256
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Die Galaxie NGC 3256 aufgenommen vom Hubble-Weltraumteleskop
AladinLite
SternbildSegel des Schiffs
Position
Äquinoktium: J2000.0, Epoche: J2000.0
Rektaszension10h 27m 51,3s[1]
Deklination−43° 54′ 13″[1]
Erscheinungsbild
Morphologischer TypS/Pec;merger;HII Sbrst[1]
Helligkeit (visuell)11,3 mag[2]
Helligkeit (B-Band)12,1 mag[2]
Winkel­ausdehnung3,8′ × 2,1′[2]
Positionswinkel85°[2]
Flächen­helligkeit13,4 mag/arcmin²[2]
Physikalische Daten
ZugehörigkeitLGG 198[3]
Rotverschiebung0.009354 ± 0.000019[1]
Radial­geschwin­digkeit(2804 ± 6) km/s[1]
Hubbledistanz
H0 = 73 km/(s • Mpc)		(115 ± 8) · 106 Lj
(35,4 ± 2,5) Mpc [1]
Durchmesser130.000 Lj[4]
Geschichte
EntdeckungJohn Herschel
Entdeckungsdatum15. März 1836
Katalogbezeichnungen
NGC 3256 • PGC 30785 • ESO 263-G038 • MCG -07-22-010 • IRAS 10257-4338 • 2MASX J10275128-4354135 • AM 1025-43 • VV 65 • GC 2114 • h 3254 • LDCE 725 NED017

NGC 3256 ist eine verschmolzene Spiralgalaxie vom Hubble-Typ Sb/P im Sternbild Segel des Schiffs, welche etwa 115 Millionen Lichtjahre von der Milchstraße entfernt ist. In der Nähe befinden sich drei weitere Galaxien, für welche die Nummern NGC 3256A, NGC 3256B und NGC 3256C vergeben wurden.

Das Objekt wurde am 15. März 1836 von dem britischen Astronomen John Herschel entdeckt.[5]

Literatur

  • König, Michael & Binnewies, Stefan (2019): Bildatlas der Galaxien: Die Astrophysik hinter den Astrofotografien, Stuttgart: Kosmos, S. 236

Weblinks

Commons: NGC 3256 – Sammlung von Bildern, Videos und Audiodateien

Einzelnachweise

  1. ↑ a b c d NASA/IPAC EXTRAGALACTIC DATABASE
  2. ↑ a b c d e SEDS: NGC 3256
  3. ↑ VizieR
  4. ↑ NASA/IPAC
  5. ↑ Seligman

Auf dieser Seite verwendete Medien

Hubble Interacting Galaxy NGC 3256 (2008-04-24).jpg

NGC 3256 is an impressive example of a peculiar galaxy that is actually the relict of a collision of two separate galaxies that took place in a distant past. The telltale signs of the collision are two extended luminous tails swirling out from the galaxy. NGC 3256 belongs to the Hydra-Centaurus supercluster complex and provides a nearby template for studying the properties of young star clusters in tidal tails. The system hides a double nucleus and a tangle of dust lanes in the central region. The tails are studded with a particularly high density of star clusters.

This image is part of a large collection of 59 images of merging galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and released on the occasion of its 18th anniversary on 24th April 2008.

About the object
Object name NGC 3256, VV 065, AM 1025-433
Object description Interacting Galaxies
Position (J2000) 10 27 51.57
-43 54 13.4
Constellation Vela
Distance 100 million light-years (50 million parsecs)
About the data
Data description The Hubble image was created using HST data from proposal 10592: A. Evans (University of Virginia, Charlottesville/NRAO/Stony Brook University)
Instrument ACS/WFC
Exposure date(s) November 5, 2001
Exposure time 35 minutes
Filters F435W (B) and F814W (I)
The peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 photographed by the James Webb Space Telescope.jpg
The peculiar galaxy NGC 3256 dominates this image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope. This Milky Way-sized galaxy lies about 120 million light-years away in the constellation Vela, and is a denizen of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster.

NGC 3256 may seem peaceful, a swirl of tightly entwined spiral arms set in a hazy cloud of light, but this image shows the aftermath of an ancient cosmic clash. This distorted galaxy is the wreckage of a head-on collision between two equally massive spiral galaxies which astronomers estimate to have met around 500 million years ago. The tumultuous past of NGC 3256 is captured in the long tendrils of shining dust and stars which extend outwards from the main body of the galaxy. These luminous tendrils are called tidal tails, and are studded with young stars which were formed as gas and dust from the two galaxies collided. The striking red wisps spread across the galaxy trace out lanes of dust. Excited by radiation from the galaxy's stars, small dust grains emit infrared light that is captured in astonishing detail by Webb's instruments.

If you were asked to picture a galaxy collision, you might picture stars careening into one another with catastrophically explosive results. In reality, the spaces between the stars in a galaxy are vast; when galaxies collide, their clouds of stars pass through one another and mingle like two clouds of smoke. The gas and dust in colliding galaxies does interact, however, and with spectacular results. The galactic collision that created NGC 3256 triggered a luminous burst of star formation that can be seen in the brightest portions of this image. These infant stars shine most brightly at infrared wavelengths, light which can penetrate through obscuring dust in the galaxy, and which makes the stars perfect subjects for Webb.

This observation is one of several which take a detailed look at the physics of star formation and black hole growth in nearby merging galaxies, hoping to transform astronomers' understanding of galactic evolution. Capturing a selection of luminous infrared galaxies like NGC 3256 will help the astronomical community to understand how Webb can unravel the complex histories of nearby star-forming galaxies.

This image contains data from Webb’s Near-InfraRed Camera and Mid-InfraRed Instrument, which — as the names suggest — capture NGC 3256 in stunning detail at infrared wavelengths. Previous observations of NGC 3256 with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope revealed this cosmic collision at visible wavelengths.

Image Description: A large, face-on spiral galaxy. The core is radiating very brightly. Streaks of dust glow intensely red, in the centre and across most of the galaxy. This gas is surrounded by a dark grey halo made of the galaxy’sstars. The halo stretches out into a tidal tail at the upper-left, and another at the bottom. Small stars and galaxies surround the spiral galaxy, on a black background.

Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, L. Armus, A. Evans

Release date: 3 July 2023, 06:00

Image acquired on the 24th and 25th of December, 2022