South America Galaxy
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| South America Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 The galaxy, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Aquarius |
| Right ascension | 22h 51m 49.2s |
| Declination | −17° 52′ 23″ |
| Redshift | 0.077750 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 23,309 km/s |
| Distance | 1.045 Gly (320.4 Mpc) |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 16.15 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | LIG |
| Size | 90,000 ly (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 0.3' x 0.2' |
| Notable features | Interacting galaxies |
| Other designations | |
| LEDA 69877, IRAS 22491-1808, PGC 69877, NVSS J225149-175225 | |
The South America Galaxy, also known as LEDA 69877 and IRAS 22491-1808, is a merging pair of ultraluminous infrared galaxies located in the constellation Aquarius.[1][2] It is estimated to be 1.045 billion light-years from the Milky Way and about 90,000 light-years in diameter. The object is moving away from the Solar System with a calculated radial velocity of approximately 23.300 kilometers per second.[3]
The galaxy got its nickname due to its physical resemblance to the continent of South America. The galaxy was selected as ESA/HUBBLE's picture of the week on 10 June 2013.[4]
In the complex central region of the galaxy, scientists have been able to distinguish two nuclei, remains of the two different galaxies that are currently colliding. IRAS 22491-1808 is among the most luminous of these types of galaxies, and is considered to be mid-way through its merging stage.[4]
According to a study published in 2017, the mass of the molecular gas outflow in IRAS 22491-1808 is estimated to be MH2(hot)~ 6−8 × 103 M☉.[5] Notable, it also shows lack of polarization.[6]