NGC 232
Spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 232 is a spiral galaxy located in the equatorial constellation of Cetus, the whale.[7] It was discovered in 1886 by the American astronomer Francis Leavenworth.[8] NGC 232 has an apparent visual magnitude of 14.5 and an angular size of 1.0′ × 0.8′.[4] It is located at an estimated distance of 275 million light-years (84.33 Mpc),[3] and is part of a group that includes NGC 235.[5]
| NGC 232 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension | 00h 42m 45.814s[1] |
| Declination | −23° 33′ 40.69″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.022890[2] |
| Distance | 275.0 Mly (84.33 Mpc)[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 14.46[4] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(r)[4] or Sa[5] |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.0' × 0.8'[4] |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 474- G 015, 6dF J0042457-233341, PMN J0042-2333, IRAS 00402-2350, 2MASX J00424581-2333406, NGC 232, MCG -04-02-040[6] | |
This is a Type II Seyfert galaxy; a class of galaxy with an active galactic nucleus. There is a circumnuclear star forming ring with a radius of about 1,400 ly (440 pc).[9] NGC 232 is classified as a luminous infrared galaxy and is radio quiet. In 2017, a linear emission line feature was reported in this galaxy. This jet-like structure extended from the nucleus for a distance of approximately 9.8 kly (3 kpc), with a width of 2.6 kly (0.8 kpc). It is not perpendicular to the galaxy disk. As of the date of discovery, it is the second longest such feature detected in a galaxy, exceeded only by 3C 120.[5]
On September 3, 2006, K. Itagaki of Yamagata, Japan, reported the discovery of a magnitude 16.1 supernova in NGC 232. Designated SN 2006et, it was located at a position of 0.3″ east and 11.0″ north of the galaxy's center.[10] The spectrum was similar to Type Ia supernova event, with a slow decline pattern such as SN 1997br or SN 1995ac.[11]
