![The sky around the dwarf galaxy IC 1613](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/The_sky_around_the_dwarf_galaxy_IC_1613.jpg)
IC 1613 (object 1613 in the
Index Catalogues (IC), also known as Caldwell 51) is an
irregular dwarf galaxy, visible in the
constellation
A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object.
The origins of the e ...
Cetus near the star
26 Ceti
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. It was discovered in 1906 by
Max Wolf
Maximilian Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf (21 June 1863 – 3 October 1932) was a German astronomer and a pioneer in the field of astrophotography. He was the chairman of astronomy at the University of Heidelberg and director of the Heidelberg-Kà ...
, and is approaching
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
at 234 km/s.
IC 1613 is a member of the
Local Group
The Local Group is the galaxy group that includes the Milky Way.
It has a total diameter of roughly , and a total mass of the order of .
It consists of two collections of galaxies in a "dumbbell" shape: the Milky Way and its satellites form ...
.
It has played an important role in the calibration of the
Cepheid variable period-luminosity relation for estimating distances. Other than the
Magellanic Clouds, it is one of the few Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy where
RR Lyrae-type variable
RR Lyrae variables are periodic variable stars, commonly found in globular clusters. They are used as standard candles to measure (extra) galactic distances, assisting with the cosmic distance ladder. This class is named after the prototype and ...
s have been observed; this factor, along with an unusually low abundance of
interstellar dust
Cosmic dust, also called extraterrestrial dust, star dust or space dust, is dust which exists in outer space, or has fallen on Earth. Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and 0.1 mm (100 micrometers). Larger particles are c ...
both within IC 1613 and along the line of sight enable especially accurate distance estimates.
In 1999, Cole et al.
used the
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versa ...
to find that the dominant
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of this galaxy has an age of ~7 Gyr. Using its
Hess diagram
A Hess diagram plots the relative density of occurrence of stars at differing color–magnitude positions of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram for a given galaxy or resolved stellar population. The diagram is named after R. Hess who originated ...
, they found that its evolutionary history may be similar to that of the
Pegasus Dwarf Irregular Galaxy. Both galaxies are classified as Ir V in the DDO system. Also in 1999, Antonello et al. found five cepheids of
Population II in IC 1613, giving self-evident support for the existence of a very old stellar population component of IC 1613. In 1999, King, Modjaz, & Li discovered the first
nova
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
ever detected in IC 1613.
![Caldwell 51 (50290991758)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Caldwell_51_%2850290991758%29.jpg)
IC 1613 contains a
WO star known as DR1, which might be the only Wolf–Rayet star in the galaxy, although a candidate WC+O binary, SPIRITS14bqe, has been found. The galaxy also contains a Luminous Blue Variable candidate, and a rich population of OB-type stars and OB associations.
There are many faint galaxies close to IC 1613, catalogued as members of the group NOGG H 57.
References
External links
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*
{{DEFAULTSORT:IC 1613
Dwarf irregular galaxies
Local Group
Cetus (constellation)
1613
Events
January–June
* January 11 – Workers in a sandpit in the DauphinĂ© region of France discover the skeleton of what is alleged to be a 30-foot tall man (the remains, it is supposed, of the giant Teutobochus, a legendary ...
00668
03844
051b
Astronomical objects discovered in 1906
Astronomical events in the near future