NGC 5195


NGC 5195 is a dwarf galaxy that is interacting with the Whirlpool Galaxy. Both galaxies are located approximately 25 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici. Together, the two galaxies are one of the most famous interacting galaxy pairs.

History

NGC 5195 was discovered by Pierre Méchain on March 20, 1781.

Interaction with the Whirlpool Galaxy

NGC 5195 and the Whirlpool Galaxy compose one of the most noted interacting galaxy pairs in astronomy. The two galaxies are listed in the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as one of several prominent examples of a spiral galaxy with a companion galaxy. The system was also the subject of very early theoretical investigations into galaxy interactions. The two galaxies are connected by a dust-rich tidal bridge. The dust in this tidal bridge can be seen silhouetted against the center of NGC 5195. This demonstrates that NGC 5195 appears to lie behind the Whirlpool Galaxy. The encounter has significantly enhanced the spiral structure of M51.
In January 2016, BBC science reporter Jonathan Webb said, "Astronomers have spotted two huge waves of gas being 'burped' by the black hole at the heart of a nearby galaxy. The swathes of hot gas, detected in X-ray images from NASA's Chandra space telescope, appear to be sweeping cooler hydrogen gas ahead of them. This vast, rippling belch is taking place in NGC 5195 - a small, neglected sibling of the 'Whirlpool Galaxy', 26 million light years away. That makes it one of the closest black holes blasting gas in this way". He added, "The findings, presented at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Florida, are a dramatic example of 'feedback' between a supermassive black hole and its host galaxy". Webb's report cited Marie Machacek, co-author of the study from the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, as saying, "We think that feedback keeps galaxies from becoming too large But at the same time, it can be responsible for how some stars form. This shows that black holes can create, not just destroy."

Morphology

As a consequence of the gravitational interaction with the Whirlpool Galaxy, NGC 5195 is highly distorted. Classification of its morphology is difficult, as it is sometimes identified as a lenticular galaxy or as an amorphous or irregular galaxy. It has been described as falling outside the standard morphological classification system.

Supernova

is the only supernova that has been detected within NGC 5195. The supernova was found 10″ northwest of the nucleus on April 6, 1945 by Milton L. Humason using the telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory. The supernova, classified as a Type I supernova, reached a peak apparent magnitude of 14.0.