LEDA 74886

LEDA 74886, also known by its 2MASX designation 2MASX J03404323-1838431, is a dwarf galaxy with a rare rectangular shape.[2] It is located at a distance of about 70,000,000 light-years (21 Mpc) in the Eridanus constellation.[4] The galaxy was detected in a wide field of view image taken by the Subaru Telescope using the Subaru Prime Focus Camera (Suprime-Cam).[5][6] Using the Keck Telescope, a thin disc with a side on orientation was confirmed to be lurking at the center of LEDA 74886, and spinning at a speed of 33 km/s at the orbital radius of half a kpc.[2] LEDA 74886 has a mass of around 109 M☉ (Compared to the Milky Way's mass of about 1012 M☉).

LEDA 74886
False color image of galaxy LEDA 74886, taken by the Subaru Telescope. The contrast of this image has been adjusted to highlight the internal disk/bar like structure.
Credit: Alister Graham, Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationEridanus
Right ascension03h 40m 43.233s[1]
Declination−18° 38′ 43.10″[1]
Distance70,000 kly (21,000 kpc) h−1
0.73
Group or clusterNGC 1407[2]
Characteristics
TypeS0 [3]
Mass1×109 M☉
Other designations
2MASX J03404323-1838431, 6dFGS gJ034043.2-183843[1]

Location

LEDA 74886 is located in the celestial sphere at a right ascension () of 03h 40m 43.2s, and a declination () of −18° 38′ 43″ (J2000). It is located within the Galactic corona of NGC 1407, a massive spherical galaxy which is located approximately 163,000 ly (50 kpc) to the northwest of LEDA 74886.[2]

See also
  • SDSS J074018.17+282756.3 is a spiral galaxy with arms that have a somewhat squarish-looking interior, but is distinct from LEDA 74886 because LEDA 74886 has no apparent spiral structure and a boxy like exterior form.[2]
  • Sextans A, a member of the local group, has a box like form due to its expanding shell of young blue stars, but it has a much lower mass and density, and includes a central disc which LEDA 74886 does not include.[2]
  • NGC 4488

References
  1. "6dFGS gJ034043.2-183843". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  2. Graham, Alister W.; Spitler, Lee R.; Forbes, Duncan A.; Lisker, Thorsten; Moore, Ben; Janz, Joachim (March 19, 2012). "LEDA 074886: A REMARKABLE RECTANGULAR-LOOKING GALAXY". The Astrophysical Journal. 750 (2): 121. arXiv:1203.3608. Bibcode:2012ApJ...750..121G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/750/2/121.
  3. NED, LEDA 074886 (accessed 20 March 2012)
  4. Rachel Kaufman (March 20, 2012). "Rare "Emerald Cut" Galaxy Found". National Geographic News. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  5. "Astronomers Discover Galaxy That Resembles An Emerald-Cut Diamond". Asian Scientist. March 20, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  6. "Surprising Discovery of a Rare "Emerald-Cut" Galaxy" (Press release). Subaru Telescope—National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
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