| NGC 2992 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 2992 (right) with its partner, NGC 2993 (left) | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension | 09h 45m 42.045s[1] |
| Declination | −14° 19′ 34.90″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.00771[2] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 2,311 km/s[3] |
| Distance | 103 Mly (31.6 Mpc)[4] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.2[5] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Sa[5] |
| Mass | 55.7×109[4] M☉ |
| Apparent size (V) | 3.24′ ×0.91′[6] |
| Other designations | |
| 2MASX J09454204-1419348,NGC 2992,LEDA 27982,PGC 27982[7][6] | |
NGC 2992 is aSeyfert galaxy located 103[6] millionlight years distant in theequatorialconstellation ofHydra. It was discovered in 1785 by Anglo-German astronomerWilliam Herschel.[5]
Themorphological classification of this galaxy is Sa,[5] indicating aspiral with no centralbar. The plane of the galaxy is inclined at an angle of 70° to the line of sight from the Earth,[2] so it is being viewed from nearly edge on. A prominent dust lane extends along the major axis, crossing the nucleus.[8] This was identified as a Seyfert galaxy in 1980 based on a broad component of theHα line with no matchingHβ broadening. It is classed as an intermediate[8] Seyfert of type 1.9/1.5.[2] Varying emission in thex-ray and other bands have been detected from the nucleus of NGC 2992, which may be the result of changes to an accretion disk in the core.[8] These fluctuations show changes by a factor of up to 20 on a time scales of days or weeks. The mass of the centralsupermassive black hole is estimated to be5.2×107 M☉.[2]
The nearby companion galaxyNGC 2993 is located less than3′ to the southeast of NGC 2292. The two are linked by atidal bridge of ionized hydrogen and there aretidal tails to the southeast of NGC 2993 and the north of NGC 2292. The encounter between these galaxies may be the trigger for the active nucleus in NGC 2992. There is a significant amount of dust obscuring the nucleus and cones of material outflowing from the core at nearly right angles to the alignment of the galaxy.[9]NuSTAR observations suggest there is an ultra-fast outflow component with a velocity of0.21±0.01 c.[2]
Media related toNGC 2992 at Wikimedia Commons