NGC 206 is a bright star cloud in the Andromeda Galaxy, and the brightest star cloud in Andromeda when viewed from Earth.
| NGC 206 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 206 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Right ascension | 00h 40m 31.3s[1] |
| Declination | +40° 44′ 21″[1] |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 4.2′ (arcmin) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | Ca. 400 ly |
| Associations | |
| Constellation | Andromeda |
Features
editNGC 206 is the richest and most conspicuous star cloud in the Andromeda Galaxy, and is one of the largest and brightest star-forming regions in the Local Group.[2] It contains more than 300 stars brighter than Mb=−3.6.[3] It was originally identified by Edwin Hubble as a star cluster but today, due to its size, it is classified as an OB association.[4]
NGC 206 is located in a spiral arm of the Andromeda Galaxy, in a zone free of neutral hydrogen. It contains hundreds of stars of spectral types O and B. The star cloud has a double structure: one region has an age of around 10 million years and includes several H II regions in its border; the other region has an age of 40 to 50 million years and includes a number of cepheids. The two regions are separated by a band of interstellar dust.[5]
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 206. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
- ^ Massey, Philip; Armandroff, Taft E.; Pyke, Randall; Patel, Kanan; Wilson, Christine D. (1995). "Hot, Luminous Stars in Selected Regions of NGC 6822, M31, and M33". Astronomical Journal. 110: 2715. Bibcode:1995AJ....110.2715M. doi:10.1086/117725.
- ^ Hodge, Paul W. (1992). The Andromeda Galaxy. Springer. p. 153.
- ^ Hodge, Paul W. (1992). The Andromeda Galaxy. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7923-1654-1.
- ^ Chernin, Arthur D.; Efremov, Yury N.; Voinovich, Peter A. (1995). "Superassociations: violent star formation induced by shock-shock collisions". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 275 (2): 313–326. Bibcode:1995MNRAS.275..313C. doi:10.1093/mnras/275.2.313.
External links
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- NGC 206 @ SEDS NGC objects pages
- NGC 206 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Stars of NGC 206 (2 April 1999)