NGC 6209
Galaxy in the constellation Apus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 6209 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Apus. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 5,916±11 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 284.6 ± 19.9 Mly (87.26 ± 6.11 Mpc).[1] However, 13 non-redshift measurements give a closer mean distance of 247.90 ± 5.50 Mly (76.008 ± 1.685 Mpc).[2] It was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on 28 June 1835.[3]
| NGC 6209 | |
|---|---|
NGC 6209 imaged by DSS | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Apus |
| Right ascension | 16h 54m 57.6600s[1] |
| Declination | −72° 35′ 11.900″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.019564±0.0000330[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 5,865±10 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 247.90 ± 5.50 Mly (76.008 ± 1.685 Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.41[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R')SA(rs)bc[1] |
| Size | ~222,300 ly (68.17 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.0′ × 1.6′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 043- G 008, IRAS 16489-7230, 2MASX J16545747-7235136, PGC 59252[1] | |
NGC 6209 is a Seyfert II galaxy, i.e. it has a quasar-like nucleus with very high surface brightnesses whose spectra reveal strong, high-ionisation emission lines, but unlike quasars, the host galaxy is clearly detectable.[4][5] Additionally, NGC 6209 has a possible active galactic nucleus, i.e. it has a compact region at the center of a galaxy that emits a significant amount of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, with characteristics indicating that this luminosity is not produced by the stars.[6][5]
