NGC 1396 is a
dwarf elliptical galaxy
Dwarf elliptical galaxies, or dEs, are elliptical galaxies that are smaller than ordinary elliptical galaxies. They are quite common in galaxy groups and clusters, and are usually companions to other galaxies.
Examples
"Dwarf elliptical" galaxie ...
located 61 millon light years away in the constellation of
Fornax. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer
Julius Schmidt on January 19, 1865, and is a member of the
Fornax Cluster. Despite the fact that the galaxy PGC 13398 is most commonly identified as NGC 1396, there is uncertainty in its identification.
NGC 1396 is a
satellite galaxy
A satellite galaxy is a smaller companion galaxy that travels on bound orbits within the gravitational potential of a more massive and luminous host galaxy (also known as the primary galaxy). Satellite galaxies and their constituents are bound ...
of
NGC 1399
NGC 1399 is a large elliptical galaxy in the Southern constellation Fornax (constellation), Fornax, the central galaxy in the Fornax Cluster.
The galaxy is 66 million light-years away from Earth. With a diameter of 130 000 light-years, it is ...
.
232 known
globular clusters
A globular cluster is a spheroidal conglomeration of stars. Globular clusters are bound together by gravity, with a higher concentration of stars towards their centers. They can contain anywhere from tens of thousands to many millions of member ...
have been observed surrounding NGC 1396,
along with a central
nuclear star cluster
A nuclear star cluster (NSC) or compact stellar nucleus (sometimes called young stellar nucleus) is a star cluster with high density and high luminosity near the center of mass of most galaxies.
NSCs are the central massive objects of fainter ...
with an estimated mass of 9.6 × 10
6 M☉.
NGC 1396 has a
metallicity
In astronomy, metallicity is the abundance of elements present in an object that are heavier than hydrogen and helium. Most of the normal physical matter in the Universe is either hydrogen or helium, and astronomers use the word ''"metals"'' as a ...
of
e/Hˆ¼ -0.4, with unusually overabundant values of
a/Fe∼+ 0.1, and underabundant sodium, with
a/Fevalues around -0.1, while
g/Feis overabundant throughout the galaxy, increasing at a greater distance from the center of the galaxy. These abundance ratios compared with galaxies in the
Local Group, show that the chemical enrichment history of the
interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstella ...
of NGC 1396 is similar to the
galactic disc of the
Milky Way. This implies that NGC 1396 originated as a progenitor galaxy the size of the
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), or Nubecula Major, is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. At a distance of around 50 kiloparsecs (≈160,000 light-years), the LMC is the second- or third-closest galaxy to the Milky Way, after the ...
that lost its gas as it fell though the Fornax Cluster.
See also
*
List of NGC objects (1001–2000)
This is a list of NGC objects 1001–2000 from the New General Catalogue (NGC). The astronomical catalogue is composed mainly of star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Other objects in the catalogue can be found in the other subpages of the list of ...
*
Messier 32
*
Messier 110
External links
References
{{Ngc15
1396
Year 1396 ( MCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
January–December
* May 19 – Martin I succeeds his brother, John I, as King of Aragon (modern-day ...
013398
Fornax
Astronomical objects discovered in 1865
Dwarf elliptical galaxies
Fornax Cluster