NGC 4622

NGC 4622 is a face-on unbarred spiral galaxy with a

NGC 4622
very prominent ring structure located in the
constellation Centaurus. The galaxy is a member of the
Centaurus Cluster.[2]

Spiral structure
The spiral galaxy, NGC 4622 (also called Backward
galaxy), lies approximately 111 million light years
away from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. NGC
4622 is an example of a galaxy with leading spiral
arms.[2] Each spiral arm winds away from the center of
the galaxy and ends at an outermost tip that "points" in
a certain direction (away from the arm). Spiral arms
were thought to always trail, meaning that the
outermost tip of every spiral arm points away from the
direction of the disk's orbital rotation. This is true of the
inner spiral arm of NGC 4622 but not of its outer spiral
arms. The outer arms of NGC 4622 are instead leading
spiral arms, meaning the tips of the spiral arms point A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of
towards the direction of disk rotation. This may be the NGC 4622.
result of a gravitational interaction between NGC 4622 Observation data (J2000 epoch)
and another galaxy or the result of a merger between
Constellation Centaurus
NGC 4622 and a smaller object.[2]
Right ascension 12h 42m 37.7s[1]
NGC 4622 also has a single inner trailing spiral arm.[2]
Declination −40° 44′ 35″[1]
Although it was originally suspected that the inner
spiral arm was a leading arm, the observations that Redshift 4367 ± 39 km/s[1]
established that the outer arms were leading also Distance 200 million ly[1]
established that the inner arm was trailing.[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 12.6[1]
These results were met with skepticism in part because Characteristics
they contradicted conventional wisdom with one quote Type
SA(r)ab[1]
being “so you’re the backward astronomers who found
the backward galaxy.” The fact that a pair of arms Apparent size (V) 1′.7 × 1′.6[1]
could lead was not easy to accept. Astronomical Other designations
objections centered on the fact that dust reddening and
PGC 42701[1]
cloud silhouettes were used to determine that the outer
arms lead. The galaxy disk is tilted only 19 degrees
from face-on making near to far-side effects of dust hard to discern and because clumpy dust clouds might
be concentrated on one side of the disk, creating misleading results.

In response, the “backward astronomers” determined[3] NGC 4622's spiral arm sense with a method
independent of the previous work. The new Fourier component method is actually assisted by the small tilt,
and dust reddening and cloud silhouettes are not used in the latest analysis. The Fourier component method
reveals two new weak arms in the inner disk winding opposite the outer strong clockwise pair. Thus the
 galaxy
must have
a pair of
arms
winding in
the
opposite
direction
from most
galaxies.
Analysis A simulation of the NGC 4622 arm
of a color- pairs, exhibiting the Fourier
age star transform m = 2.
formation
angle
sequence of the Fourier components establishes
that the strong outer pair is the leading pair.

While the presence of backward arms in a galaxy

may seem like an inconvenient truth to many, two
independent methods now indicate that NGC
Based only on their shape, one would expect from
4622's arms do indeed behave in a very unusual
observations of other spiral galaxies that the outermost
spiral arms (blue and blue-green) move by rotating
fashion, with the outer arms winding outward in
counterclockwise around the center of the galaxy. This
the same direction the disk turns.
is not the case; the outermost spiral arms rotate
A Fourier component image of the arm pairs is
clockwise, just like the inner spiral arm and the rest of
the galaxy's disk. Additionally, the "trailing" inner spiral
shown with one of the pair of arms marked for the
newly discovered inner CCW pair (black dots) as
arm (green) and the "leading" outer spiral arms (blue
and blue-green) curl around the galaxy in opposite
well as one of the already known (CW) outer pair
directions (although both move clockwise around the
(white dots).
galaxy's center).
Supernova
On May 25, 2001, an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope captured a supernova in NGC 4622. It
was discovered by R. Buta and GG Byrd of the University of Alabama as well as T. Freeman of Bevill
State Community College.[4] The type of supernova was not determined.[5]

Group and cluster

According to AM Garcia, NGC 4622 is a member of the NGC 4709 group which consists of at least 42
galaxies including NGC 4616, NGC 4622B (also called PGC 42852), NGC 4679 and NGC 4709.[6]
The NGC 4709 group is part of the Centaurus Cluster.[7]

See also
Messier 64 – a spiral galaxy with its gas disk orbiting opposite the disk of stars

References
1. "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database" (http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/). Results for NGC
4622. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
2. R. J. Buta; G. G. Byrd; T. Freeman (2003). "The Ringed Spiral Galaxy NGC 4622. I.
Photometry, Kinematics, and the Case for Two Strong Leading Outer Spiral Arms".
Astronomical Journal. 125 (2): 634–666. arXiv:astro-ph/0211002 (https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-p
h/0211002). Bibcode:2003AJ....125..634B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003AJ....125..
634B). doi:10.1086/345821 (https://doi.org/10.1086%2F345821). S2CID 119001761 (https://
api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:119001761).
3. G. G. Byrd; T. Freeman; S. Howard; R. J. Buta (2008). "The Ringed Spiral Galaxy NGC4622.
II. An Independent Determination that the Two Outer Arms Lead" (http://www.iop.org/EJ/articl
e/1538-3881/135/1/408/aj_135_1_408.html). Astronomical Journal. 135 (1): 408–413.
Bibcode:2008AJ....135..408B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AJ....135..408B).
doi:10.1088/0004-6256/135/1/408 (https://doi.org/10.1088%2F0004-6256%2F135%2F1%2F
408).
4. "Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (UAI), IAUC 7833: SNe; 2001jx" (http://www.cb
at.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07800/07833.html). Retrieved September 23, 2020.
5. "Bright Supernovae - 2001" (http://rochesterastronomy.org/sn2001/index.html). Retrieved
September 23, 2020.
6. Garcia, A.M. (1993). "General study of group membership. II - Determination of nearby
groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 100 #1 (July): 47–90.
Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1993A&AS..100...47G).
7. Jerjen, H.; Dressler, A. (1997). "Studies of the Centaurus cluster. I. A catalogue of galaxies in
the central region of the Centaurus cluster" (https://aas.aanda.org/articles/aas/pdf/1997/10/d
s5163.pdf) (PDF). A & A Supplement Series. 12 (July): 1–12. Bibcode:1997A&AS..124....1J
(https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1997A&AS..124....1J). doi:10.1051/aas:1997355 (https://d
oi.org/10.1051%2Faas%3A1997355).

External links
Media related to NGC 4622 at Wikimedia Commons
Hubble Heritage site: Pictures and description (http://heritage.stsci.edu/2002/03/fast_facts.ht
ml)
SKY-MAP.ORG : NGC 4622 (http://www.sky-map.org/?ra=12.710088249192824&de=-40.74
366442861213&zoom=13&show_grid=1&show_constellation_lines=1&show_constellation
_boundaries=1&show_const_names=0&show_galaxies=1&show_box=1&box_ra=12.7104
72&box_de=-40.744446&box_width=7.7640448&box_height=7.7640448&box_var_size=1&
img_source=IMG_all)

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