NGC 2403
Supernova and Supernova Imposters
There have been four reported astronomical transients in the galaxy:
- SN 1954J, which attained a magnitude of 16 at its brightest, was initially classified as a type V supernova. It was later determined to be a supernova imposter: a highly luminous, very massive eruptive star, surrounded by a dusty nebula, similar to the 1843 Great Eruption of η Carinae in the Milky Way.
- SN 2002kg was initially classified as a type IIn, or possibly the outburst of a luminous blue variable. In 2021, it was reclassified as a Gap transient.
- SN 2004dj was a type II-P which attained a magnitude of 11.2. At the time of its discovery, it was the nearest and brightest supernova observed in the 21st century.
- AT 2016ccd, initially designated as SNhunt225, is a luminous blue variable, first discovered by Catalina Real-time Transient Survey (CRTS) and Stan Howerton in December 2013. Outbursts from this star have been observed as recently as November 2021.
History
The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel in 1788. Edwin Hubble detected Cepheid variables in NGC 2403 using the Hale Telescope, making it the first galaxy beyond the Local Group within which a Cepheid was discovered. By 1963, 59 variables had been found in NGC 2403, of which 17 were eventually confirmed as Cepheids, with periods between 20 and 87 days. As late as 1950 Hubble was using a distance of just under 2 million light years for the galaxy's distance, but by 1968 the analysis of the Cepheids increased this by almost a factor of five, to within 0.2 magnitudes of the current value.
Companions
NGC 2403 has two known companions. One is the relatively massive dwarf galaxy DDO 44. It is currently being disrupted by NGC 2403, as evidenced by a tidal stream extending 82 kly (25 kpc) on both sides of DDO 44. DDO 44 is approaching NGC 2403 at a distance much closer than typical for dwarf galaxy interactions. It currently has a V-band absolute magnitude of −12.9, but its progenitor was even more luminous.
The other known companion is officially named MADCASH J074238+652501-dw, although it is nicknamed MADCASH-1. The name refers to the MADCASH (Magellanic Analog Dwarf Companions and Stellar Halos) project. MADCASH-1 is similar to typical dwarf spheroidal galaxies in the Local Group; it is quite faint, with an absolute V-band magnitude of −7.81, and has only an ancient, metal-poor population of red giant stars.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/A_Galaxy_of_Birth_and_Death.jpg/220px-A_Galaxy_of_Birth_and_Death.jpg)
See also
- Triangulum Galaxy-looks very similar to NGC 2403.
References
- ^ "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 2403. Retrieved 2006-11-21.
- ^ Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Garling, Christopher T.; Peter, Annika H. G.; Crnojević, Denija; Forbes, Duncan A.; Hargis, Jonathan R.; Mutlu-Pakdil, Burçin; Pucha, Ragadeepika; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Sand, David J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay; Willman, Beth (2019). "Tidal Destruction in a Low-mass Galaxy Environment: The Discovery of Tidal Tails around DDO 44". The Astrophysical Journal. 886 (2): 109. arXiv:1906.08260. Bibcode:2019ApJ...886..109C. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab4c32. S2CID 195218404.
- ^ Kepple, George Robert; Glen W. Sanner (1998). The Night Sky Observer's Guide. Vol. 1. Willmann-Bell, Inc. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-943396-58-3.
- ^ Ho, Luis C.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Sargent, Wallace L. W. (October 1997). "A Search for "Dwarf" Seyfert Nuclei. III. Spectroscopic Parameters and Properties of the Host Galaxies". Astrophysical Journal Supplement. 112 (2): 315–390. arXiv:astro-ph/9704107. Bibcode:1997ApJS..112..315H. doi:10.1086/313041. S2CID 17086638.
- ^ Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Chornock, Ryan; Li, Weidong; Challis, Peter M. (2005). "Supernova 1954J (Variable 12) in NGC 2403 Unmasked". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 117 (832): 553–562. arXiv:astro-ph/0503324. Bibcode:2005PASP..117..553V. doi:10.1086/430238.
- ^ Green, Daniel W. E. (January 15, 2003). "Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams, Circular No. 8051". Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "SN 2002kg". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "SN 2004dj". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Bishop, David (9 November 2021). "LBV AT2016ccd in NGC 2403". Rochester Astronomy. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "AT 2016ccd". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Carlin, Jeffrey L.; Mutlu-Pakdil, Burçin; Crnojević, Denija; Garling, Christopher T.; Karunakaran, Ananthan; Peter, Annika H. G.; Tollerud, Erik; Forbes, Duncan A.; Hargis, Jonathan R.; Lim, Sungsoon; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Sand, David J.; Spekkens, Kristine; Strader, Jay (2021). "Hubble Space Telescope Observations of Two Faint Dwarf Satellites of Nearby LMC Analogs from MADCASH". The Astrophysical Journal. 909 (2): 211. arXiv:2012.09174. Bibcode:2021ApJ...909..211C. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abe040. S2CID 229297953.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Spiral Galaxy NGC 2403 at the astro-photography site of Mr. Takayuki Yoshida
- NGC 2403 at ESA/Hubble
- NGC 2403 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: NGC 2403 (19 February 2016)
- SEDS – NGC 2403