IRAS 08572+3915
Galaxy in the constellation Lynx
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IRAS 08572+3915 are a pair of interacting galaxies[2] located in the constellation of Lynx. The redshift of the pair is (z) 0.058[1] and it was first discovered by G.H. Rieke in August 1988.[3] It is also classified as an ultraluminous infrared galaxy based on several observations.[4][5]
| IRAS 08572+3915 | |
|---|---|
SDSS image of IRAS 08572+3915 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Right ascension | 09h 00m 25.38s[1] |
| Declination | +39° 03′ 54.29″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.058199[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 17,447 ± 3 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 849.5 ± 59.5 Mly (260.46 ± 18.23 Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 16.80[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | LINER:;Sy2 ULIRG[1] |
| Other designations | |
| C-GOALS 08, IRAS F08572+3915, PGC 25295, NVSS J090025+390352, IRAS F08572+3915 ID[1] | |
Description
IRAS 08572+3915 is made up of two separate spiral galaxies (IRAS 08572+3915NW and IRAS 08572+3915SW) in the process of merging with each other.[6][7] The two nuclei of the galaxies are estimated to be only six kiloparsecs from each other.[8] Imaging made with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) found these nuclei have tidal tails emerging from both directions and are each measured 30 and 15 kiloparsecs long in terms of length. A bridge of tidal material is shown linking both nuclei.[9] Star forming clusters of young massive stars are detected in nuclear regions and also the tidal tails, with the estimated ages of the stars ranging from 5.5 to 6 million years, each having a mass of 106 Mʘ.[7][6] The optical spectrum of IRAS 08572+3915 has characteristics of both LINER and H II features.[7][9] As a whole, the total star formation rate is estimated as 69 Mʘ per year.[10]
The radio structure of the whole interacting galaxy system displays a flat radio spectrum observed between the frequencies of 1.4 and 5 GHz, with the entire spectrum shown steeping when reaching above 5 GHz.[11] A bright central component is shown unresolved and dominating most of the source based on both radio and mid-infrared images.[12]
An observation also found the nucleus on the northwest component of the galaxy is reddened and shines more brighter as compared to the nucleus on the southwest component.[13][11] There is also a possibility that it also hosts an obscured quasar nucleus given most of the infrared emission is emitted out from within an unresolved region.[13][14] In additional, the northwestern galaxy is also the source of galactic outflows with molecular gas showing blueshifted velocities that reaches up to 1100 kilometers per seconds.[14] Both carbon oxide absorption lines and trihydrogen cations were detected in the galaxy.[15] The whole galaxy has a detached additional component depicted as a gas blob with a mass of around 5 × 107 Mʘ. Based on observations, the gas blob is moving away with a velocity of 900 kilometers per seconds, suggestive of the galaxy's previous AGN history.[10]