NGC 2613
Spiral galaxy in Pyxis, discovered by William Herschel in 1784.
NGC 2613 is a spiral galaxy found in the southern constellation Pyxis, close to the boundary with Puppis. German-born astronomer William Herschel first spotted it on November 20, 1784. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 10.5, making it faintly visible through a 100 mm telescope, and appears spindle-shaped because it is nearly edge-on as seen from Earth.
Classified as SA(s)b, this galaxy lacks a bar or ring structure and has moderately tightly wound spiral arms. It is tilted about 79° relative to Earth’s line of sight, with its long axis aligned at a position angle of 133°. Its neutral hydrogen extends to a radius of roughly 35 kpc, and the galaxy’s total dynamic mass and neutral hydrogen mass have been measured.
The galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus, deeply hidden behind obscuring gas and dust. Data from the Very Large Array reveals a feature resembling a tidal tail along its southeastern side, likely resulting from an interaction with the small companion galaxy ESO 495-G017, which now lies to the northwest.
One supernova has been recorded in NGC 2613: SN 2023dtc, a Type Ib event with magnitude 18.604, discovered by ATLAS on March 20, 2023.
Quick Facts
- Epoch
- J2000
- Constellation Name
- Pyxis
- Ra
- 08 · 33 · 22.841
- Dec
- −22 · 58 · 25.21
- Z
- 0.005591
- Dist Ly
- 23.99 Mpc
- Appmag V
- 11.6
- Notes
- Edge-on galaxy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
NGC 2613 has a morphological classification of SA(s)b, indicating a spiral galaxy with no bar or ring and moderately tightly wound spiral arms. It is inclined by an angle of approximately 79° to the line of sight from Earth and is oriented with its long axis along a position angle of 133°. The radius of neutral hydrogen in the galaxy is about 35 kpc.
The galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus deeply embedded in obscuring gas and dust. Emission data collected by the Very Large Array shows a feature resembling a tidal tail along the southeast side of the galaxy, most likely produced by an interaction with the small companion galaxy ESO 495-G017, now located to the northwest of NGC 2613.
One supernova has been observed in NGC 2613: SN 2023dtc (Type Ib, magnitude 18.604), discovered by ATLAS on 20 March 2023.
Reader's Guide
NGC 2613 is notable as a nearly edge-on spiral galaxy in the southern sky, offering a clear view of its spindle-like shape to observers with moderate telescopes. Its active galactic nucleus, deeply embedded in gas and dust, indicates ongoing nuclear activity, while the tidal tail detected by the Very Large Array suggests a past gravitational interaction with the companion galaxy ESO 495-G017. This interaction likely shaped the galaxy's current structure and may have triggered star formation or nuclear activity. The detection of a Type Ib supernova in 2023 adds to its observational interest, providing data on stellar evolution in such an environment. The galaxy's neutral hydrogen radius of about 35 kpc and its dynamic mass contribute to understanding the distribution of matter in spiral galaxies. As a member of the NGC catalog, it serves as a target for studies of galaxy interactions, active nuclei, and supernova events.
Did You Know?
- NGC 2613 was discovered by William Herschel on November 20, 1784.
- It is classified as SA(s)b, a spiral galaxy with no bar or ring.
- A tidal tail on the southeast side likely resulted from an interaction with companion galaxy ESO 495-G017.
- One supernova, SN 2023dtc (Type Ib), was observed in NGC 2613 on 20 March 2023.
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