NGC 7214
Galaxy in the constellation Piscis Austrinus
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NGC 7214 is a large barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation of Piscis Austrinus. The redshift of the galaxy is (z) 0.023[1] and it was first discovered by the British astronomer John Herschel in July 1834, who described the object as a possible globular cluster with an irregular center.[3] It is the brightest and largest member of the four galaxies in the Hickson 91 galaxy group known as the NGC 7214 group.[4][5] This galaxy is also classified as an active Seyfert galaxy of type 1 or type 1.2.[6][7]
| NGC 7214 | |
|---|---|
HST image of NGC 7214 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Piscis Austrinus |
| Right ascension | 22h 09m 07.66s[1] |
| Declination | −27° 48′ 34.08″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.023853[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 7151 ± 4 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 346.4 ± 24.3 Mly (106.22 ± 7.44 Mpc)[1] |
| Group or cluster | Hickson 91 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.5[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(s)bc pec: Sy1.2[1] |
| Size | ~461,000 ly (141.2 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Other designations | |
| 2dFGRS S175Z138, 2MASX J22090769-2748340, 6dF J2209076-274834, ESO 467-G012, HCG 091A, IRAS 22062-2803, PGC 68152, LEDA 3222105, RBS 1824[1] | |
Description
NGC 7214 is categorized as a late-type face-on spiral galaxy of type SBc.[4][8] The rotation curve for this galaxy is described as both irregular and asymmetric.[4] The central nucleus has a bright appearance, with spiral arms that are also bright on the inner side and much fainter outer spiral arms that are extended.[9] The nuclear emission region has a compact appearance with a weak H II region that is located in the east.[10]
NGC 7214 is undergoing an interaction with a smaller spiral galaxy companion (HCG 91c), given the presence of a large prominent tidal tail extending from it.[10][11][12] The tail structure has two components that point towards the northeast. The tail also contains star forming regions, given the traces of Hydrogen-alpha knots.[8] One of the spiral arms on the southern side is shown to have constant velocity likely caused through streaming motions by the interactions.[13] The central nucleus is surrounded by several H II regions having either moderate or weak signs of star formation.[14]
