NGC 973 Galaxy Group
History
The galaxies NGC 969, NGC 974 and NGC 978 were discovered on November 22, 1827 by John Herschel with his 18.3 inch reflecting telescope in Slough, England. On September 14, 1850, the engineer Bindon Stoney set up the 72 inch «Leviathan» reflecting telescope in Birr Castle, Ireland. His employer William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, on this spot and discovered the galaxy NGC 970. NGC 973 was discovered on October 30, 1885 by the American astronomer Lewis Swift with a 16 inch reflecting telescope. IC 1815 was discovered on January 20, 1898 discovered by the French astronomer Stephane Javelle with the 76 cm lens telescope of the Observatoire de Nice.[196, 277]
Physical Properties
The galaxies NGC 969, NGC 973, NGC 974, NGC 978 and IC 1815 show similar redshifts in the range z ≈ 0.015 and belong to the NGC 973 galaxy group, which is located at a distance of about 61 Mpc to 69 Mpc. NGC 973 is a Seyfert 2 galaxy that we are looking directly at the edge. NGC 970 is a redshift of z ≈ 0.033 much further away and does not belong to the group. [145]
| Name | RA [hms] | Dec [dms] | mType | Dim ['] | Btot [mag] | HRV [km/s] | PA [°] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 969 | 02 34 07.9 | +32 56 51 | L | 1.7 x 1.6 | 13.3 | 4520 | |
| NGC 970 | 02 34 11.8 | +32 58 39 | S M | .7 x .2 | 15.7 | ||
| IC 1815 | 02 34 19.9 | +32 25 45 | LB | 1.7 x 1.6 | 14.0 | ||
| NGC 973 | 02 34 20.1 | +32 30 21 | S | 3.7 x .5 | 13.6 | 4851 | 48 |
| NGC 974 | 02 34 25.9 | +32 57 17 | S | 2.4 x 1.9 | 13.6 | ||
| NGC 978A, NGC 978 | 02 34 47.0 | +32 50 46 | L M | 2.0 x 1.7 | 13.2 | 4707 | 80 |
Finder Chart
The galaxy is located in the constellation Triangulum. The best time to observe is July to February, when it is highest at night.
