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NGC 6946, sometimes referred to as the Fireworks Galaxy, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy with a small bright nucleus, whose location in the sky straddles the boundary between the northern constellations of Cepheus and Cygnus. Its distance from Earth is about 25.2 million light-years or 7.72 megaparsecs,[2] similar to the distance of M101 (NGC 5457) in the constellation Ursa Major.[5] Both were once considered to be part of the Local Group,[6] but are now known to be among the dozen bright spiral galaxies near the Milky Way but beyond the confines of the Local Group.[7] NGC 6946 lies within the Virgo Supercluster.[8]
The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on 9 September 1798. Based on an estimation by the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies (RC3) in 1991, the galaxy has a D25 B-band isophotal diameter of 26.77 kiloparsecs (87,300 light-years).[1][3] It is heavily obscured by interstellar matter due to its location close to the galactic plane of the Milky Way.[9] Due to its prodigious star formation it has been classified as an active starburst galaxy.[7] NGC 6946 has also been classified as a double-barred spiral galaxy, with the inner, smaller bar presumably responsible for funneling gas into its center.[10][11]
Various unusual celestial objects have been observed within NGC 6946. This includes the so-called 'Red Ellipse' along one of the northern arms that looks like a super-bubble or very large supernova remnant, and which may have been formed by an open cluster containing massive stars. There are also two regions of unusual dark lanes of nebulosity, while within the spiral arms several regions appear devoid of stars and gaseous hydrogen, some spanning up to two kiloparsecs across.[7][dubious – discuss] A third peculiar object, discovered in 1967, is now known as "Hodge's Complex".[12] This was once thought to be a young supergiant cluster, but in 2017 it was conjectured to be an interacting dwarf galaxy superimposed on NGC 6946.[7]
^ abcdefghiCite error: The named reference ned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abEldridge, J J; Xiao, Lin (2 March 2019). "The distance, supernova rate, and supernova progenitors of NGC 6946". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 485 (1): L58–L61. arXiv:1903.00173. Bibcode:2019MNRAS.485L..58E. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slz030. S2CID 118831398.
^ abCite error: The named reference RC3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Jarrett, T. H.; Chester, T.; Cutri, R.; Schneider, S. E.; Huchra, J. P. (2003). "The 2MASS Large Galaxy Atlas". The Astronomical Journal. 125 (2): 525–554. Bibcode:2003AJ....125..525J. doi:10.1086/345794. S2CID 117784410.
^Cite error: The named reference CAG1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference SEDS2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdCite error: The named reference Efremov2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Nearby Groups of Galaxies". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
^"NED data for some important Non-Messier Galaxies".
^Schinnerer, Eva; et, al (2006). "Molecular Gas Dynamics in NGC 6946: A Bar-driven Nuclear Starburst Caught in the Act". The Astrophysical Journal. 649 (1): 181–200. arXiv:astro-ph/0605702. Bibcode:2006ApJ...649..181S. doi:10.1086/506265. S2CID 14717998.
^Eibensteiner, Cosima; et, al (2022). "A 2-3 mm high-resolution molecular line survey towards the centre of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6946". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 659 (A173): 37. arXiv:2201.02209. Bibcode:2022A&A...659A.173E. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202142624.
^Cite error: The named reference Hodge1967 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
NGC6946, sometimes referred to as the Fireworks Galaxy, is a face-on intermediate spiral galaxy with a small bright nucleus, whose location in the sky...
right/bottom): NGC 7541, NGC 3021, NGC 5643, NGC 3254, NGC 3147, NGC 105, NGC 2608, NGC 3583, NGC 3147, MRK 1337, NGC 5861, NGC 2525, NGC 1015, UGC 9391, NGC 691...
close encounter with another galaxy. Starburst galaxies include M82, NGC 4038/NGC 4039 (the Antennae Galaxies), and IC 10. Starburst galaxies are defined...
from the spiral galaxy NGC6946. The cluster lies approximately 4,000 light years away and it is over a billion years old. NGC 6939 is located near the...
While most of these galaxies (such as M101 and NGC6946) are simply asymmetric spiral galaxies, NGC 6365 is an interacting pair of galaxies where one...
resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy. It has two HII regions named NGC 3180 and NGC 3181. NGC 3184 houses a high abundance of heavy elements and SN 1999gi,...
Kris; Grammer, Skyler H. (January 2019). "Luminous and Variable Stars in NGC 2403 and M81". The Astronomical Journal. 157 (1): 22. arXiv:1811.06559. Bibcode:2019AJ...
surveys have detected possible candidates. The red supergiant N6946-BH1 in NGC6946 underwent a modest outburst in March 2009, before fading from view. Only...
binaries: The disappearance of N6946-BH1 following a failed supernova in NGC6946 may have resulted in the formation of a black hole. Black holes in fiction...
2009), NGC6946, retrieved 31 August 2011 Schlegel, Eric (1994), "X-ray Emission from the Historical Supernovae in the Spiral Galaxy NGC6946: SN 1980K...
titled "The Distribution of the Interstellar Medium in the SCD Galaxy NGC6946 and in a Sample of Dwarf Irregular Galaxies." Upon completing her PhD,...
SN 1917A is a supernova event in the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC6946), positioned 37″ west and 105″ south of the galactic core. Discovered by American optician...
2004et is a bright type IIP supernova that occurred in the spiral galaxy NGC6946 (The Fireworks Galaxy), about 22 million light years away from earth. The...
observed from Earth. The explosion was detected from within the spiral galaxy NGC6946 at least 22 million years after it had occurred. Swiss astronomer Paul...
Eruption of Eta Carinae, P Cygni, SN 1961V, SN 1954J, SN 1997bs, SN 2008S in NGC6946, and SN 2010dn where detections of the surviving progenitor stars are claimed...
objects, such as the Hyades, the Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884), and the Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253). The Messier catalogue was actually compiled...
away, and has a diameter of about 4,300 light-years (1.32 kiloparsecs). NGC6946 - similar galaxy heavily obscured by Milky Way stars and dust. "NASA/IPAC...
extragalactic sources, including NGC 253, NGC 520, NGC 660, NGC 891, NGC 2903, NGC 3079, NGC 3628, NGC 6240, NGC6946, IC 342, IC 860, Arp 55, Arp 220...
as Caldwell 33), whose brightest area is NGC 6992, trailing off farther south into NGC 6995 (together with NGC 6992 also known as "Network Nebula") and...
the fifth time in the 20th century, a supernova within the spiral galaxy NGC6946 was observed from Earth, at least 22 million years after it had occurred...
Identified Supernova Remnants in the Nearby Spiral Galaxies NGC 5204, NGC 5585, NGC6946, M81, and M101". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series...
II Program. The catalogue contains 400 objects. All objects are from the NGC. All objects are visible in mid northern latitudes, since they were all observed...
galaxy". SDSS image of NGC 4536 NGC 4536 by Spitzer Space Telescope NGC 4536 by GALEX (ultraviolet) NGC6946 - a similar spiral galaxy NGC 1365 - A similar-looking...
NGC3021-CANDIDATE-1 NGC 3021 09h 50m 55.39s +33° 33′ 14.5″ Disappearance of a 25-30 MSun F8 supergiant observed in archival HST data N6946-BH1 March 2009 NGC6946 20h...
Identified Supernova Remnants in the Nearby Spiral Galaxies NGC 5204, NGC 5585, NGC6946, M81, and M101". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series...
Research. "IAUC 3539: 1980 S 28". Harvard University. "IAUC 3532: SN IN NGC6946; Sats OF Saturn; HD 44179; W Hya". Harvard University. "Saturn: Moons:...
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