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NGC 6340

Coordinates: Sky map 17h 10m 24.9s, +72° 18′ 16″
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NGC 6340
NGC 6340 (center) in a 32 in (81 cm) telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationDraco[1]
Right ascension17h 10m 24.835s[2]
Declination+72° 18′ 15.92″[2]
Redshift0.003996(20)[3]
Heliocentric radial velocity1,217 km/s[4]
Distance55 Mly (17 Mpc)h−1
0.73
[5]
Apparent magnitude (V)11.9[6]
Characteristics
TypeSA(s)0/a[6]
Apparent size (V)3.2′ × 3.0′[7]
Other designations
NGC 6340, UGC 10762, PGC 59742[8][4]

NGC 6340 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Draco. It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on June 6, 1788.[9] The galaxy is located approximately 55 million light-years (17 Mpc) away,[5] and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 1,217 km/s.[4] It is the largest member of a triplet of galaxies known as the NGC 6340 group.[6]

The morphological classification of NGC 6340 is SA(s)0/a,[6] indicating a lenticular or spiral galaxy with no central bar (SA), no ring structure (s), and tightly wound spiral arms. It is being viewed nearly face on, with an inclination of about 20° to the plane of the sky. There is a prominent central bulge with little in the way of spiral structure in the outer disk.[10] The nucleus is chemically distinct, having a higher metallicity than the surroundings. There is a polar ring orbiting the nucleus with a radius of about 1.6 kly (0.5 kpc).[11]

Velocity measurements show that there are separate components with the inner and outer parts of the galaxy. This may have been created through a merger of two galaxy, with one possibly elliptical and the other a spiral.[6][5]

References

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  1. ^ R. W. Sinnott, ed. (1988). The Complete New General Catalogue and Index Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters by J. L. E. Dreyer. Sky Publishing Corporation and Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-933346-51-2.
  2. ^ a b Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2021). "Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 649: A1. arXiv:2012.01533. Bibcode:2021A&A...649A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657. S2CID 227254300. (Erratum: doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657e). Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. ^ de Vaucouleurs, G.; et al. (1991). Third reference catalogue of bright galaxies. 9. New York: Springer-Verlag.
  4. ^ a b c Tully, R. Brent (May 1, 2015). "Galaxy Groups: A 2MASS Catalog". The Astronomical Journal. 149 (5): 171. arXiv:1503.03134. Bibcode:2015AJ....149..171T. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/149/5/171. ISSN 0004-6256. S2CID 119285986.
  5. ^ a b c Chilingarian, I. V.; et al. (September 2009). "NGC 6340: an old S0 galaxy with a young polar disc. Clues from morphology, internal kinematics, and stellar populations". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 504 (2): 389–400. arXiv:0904.4606. Bibcode:2009A&A...504..389C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200911684.
  6. ^ a b c d e König, Michael; Binnewies, Stefan (2017). The Cambridge Photographic Atlas of Galaxies. Cambridge University Press. p. 300. ISBN 9781107189485.
  7. ^ "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 6340. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
  8. ^ "NGC 6340". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  9. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC Objects: NGC 6300 - 6349". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
  10. ^ Bottema, R. (September 1989). "The stellar velocity dispersion of the spiral galaxies NGC 6503 and NGC 6340". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 221: 236–249. Bibcode:1989A&A...221..236B.
  11. ^ Sil'chenko, O. K. (August 2000). "Face-on Galaxies NGC 524 and NGC 6340: Chemically Decoupled Nuclei and Inclined Circumnuclear Disks". The Astronomical Journal. 120 (2): 741–751. arXiv:astro-ph/0007051. Bibcode:2000AJ....120..741S. doi:10.1086/301494.
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