NGC 7013

Also Known as: UGC 11670

Object Type: Spiral/Lenticular Galaxy

Constellation: Cygnus

Distance from Earth: 40 million light years

Apparent Magnitude: 12.4

Coordinates: RA 21H 03M 33.6S DEC 29 deg 53 min 51 sec

Actual Size: 43,600 light years in diameter

Apparent Dimensions: 4 arc-minutes x 1.4 arc-minutes

Discovered by: NGC 7013 was discovered by William Hershel in 1784.

Description: NGC 7013 is a relatively nearby galaxy that is tilted 90° to the Earth's line of sight, allowing its structure to be seen. However, NGC 7013 is classified as either as a spiral galaxy with tightly wound arms or as a lenticular galaxy.
NGC 7013 is also considered part of a class of galactic nuclei that is defined by their spectral line emissions, called low-ionization nuclear emission-line region galaxies or LINERs.
The galaxy appears to have two rings in its structure.
The inner ring appears to completely disconnect from the central bulge while the stars in the outer ring appear to have very little spiral pattern.
Optical images of NGC 7013 show that it has a small bulge with a bright inner ring and a faint disk both crossed by dust lanes.
At least some LINERs are less energetic versions of Seyfert galaxies.
Many astronomers believe that active galactic nuclei are powered by giant black holes lurking in the centers of many galaxies.
The neutral atomic hydrogen distribution in NGC 7013 is mostly located in the two rings. In between the two rings there is a very low concentration of interstellar medium.
The low level of neutral atomic hydrogen in the disk of NGC 7013 and the reddish color of the galaxy suggests that the gas content of the galactic disc has fallen below the threshold at which star formation is likely to take place.
The small bulge-to-disk ratio and the slow rotation velocity show that NGC 7013 is a low-mass, low-density galaxy unlike the more luminous, typical lenticular galaxies.
The galaxy may thus be a former late-type spiral galaxy which have exhausted most of its interstellar gas, either by star formation or by internal sweeping

Click Below Image(s) for Full Size:

NGC 7013 is situated north of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere.

The best time to observe NGC 7013 is the summer months when Cygnus is high in the night sky.

Platesolve

NGC 7013 Galaxy

Imaging Details
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