| NGC 134 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Sculptor[1] |
| Right ascension | 00h 30m 21.97s[2] |
| Declination | −33° 14′ 38.5″[2] |
| Redshift | 0.005277[2] |
| Distance | 60 millionlight years[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.40[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Sbc[4] |
| Apparent size (V) | 8.4′×1.8′ (arcmin)[1] |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 350-23[1] PGC 001851,MGC -06-02-012[2] | |
NGC 134 is abarred spiral galaxy that resembles theMilky Way with itsspiral arms loosely wrapped around a bright, bar-shaped central region. Its loosely bound spiral arms categorize it asHubble-type Sbc. It is 60 millionlight years away,[3] and part of theSculptor constellation.[1]
TheVLT image of the galaxy (shown right) reveals the following. A prominent feature of NGC 134 is its warped disc, i.e., when viewed sideways it does not appear flat. A trail of gas is stripped from the top edge of the disc. Together, these features suggest that itinteracted with another galaxy, but that remains unproven. The galaxy has an abundance ofionized hydrogen regions along its spiral arms where stars are forming. These regions appear red in the picture. It also has many dark lanes of dust that occlude its completestarlight.[5]
The discovery of NGC 134 is often attributed toSir John Herschel at theCape of Good Hope,[5] but he did note that it might have been the 590th object discovered byJames Dunlop in his 1828 publication, six years prior to Herschel's own observations.[6] O'Meara has suggested NGC 134 might be named as theGiant Squid Galaxy.[6]
OneSupernova has been observed in NGC 134:SN 2009gj (Type IIb, mag. 15.9) was discovered by amateur astronomer Stuart Parker in New Zealand on 20 June 2009.[7][8][9][10]
Media related toNGC 134 at Wikimedia Commons
