IC 4329A

IC 4329A, also commonly referred as PGC 49051 is a Seyfert galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. Its distance from Earth is 206 million light years. The declination of IC 4329A is approximately -30.2 degrees and was first discovered by Wilson A. S. & Penston, M. V. in 1979.^[1]

IC 4329A
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Centaurus
Right ascension	13h 49m 19s[2]
Declination	−30° 18′ 34.21″[3]
Redshift	0.015207
Heliocentric radial velocity	4,515 kilometres per second[4]
Distance	63.39±0.23 megaparsec
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.5
Characteristics
Type	GX [S0-a]
Notable features	Seyfert galaxy
Other designations
PGC 49051, ESO 445-50, IRAS 13464-3003, IRAS F13464-3003, 2MASX J13491927-3018338, ESO-LV 445-0500, MCG-05-33-021, 1ES 1346-30.0, 1RXS J134919.0-301830, 6dFGS gJ134919.3-301834, NVSS J134919-301833, PSCz P13464-3003, RBS 1319, SGC 134628-3003.7, LEDA 49051, 2A 1347-300, 3A 1346-301, INTREF 579, XSS J13492-3020, [DML87] 679, [HB91] 1346-300, FLASH J134919.31-301833.1, PBC J1349.2-3018, MAXI J1349-302, 2MAXI J1349-302 and Gaia DR2 6175160320123081600[5]

Characteristics

This galaxy was first described by using an X-ray spectro-polarimetric analysis as an extremely bright Seyfert galaxy on account of the width of H-alpha (13,000 km/sec) and the high H-beta luminosity. This galaxy is described as an edge-on spiral galaxy close to elliptical galaxy IC 4329, which is the brightest galaxy inside a galaxy cluster in the Centaurus region.^[6] It has a dust lane displaying extreme polarization.^[7]

Additionally, dust components in IC 4329A have been detected mainly in the interstellar medium of its host galaxy as well as its nuclear component located in the active torus.^[8]

The supermassive black hole in IC 4329A is estimated to be 6.8^+1.2
_−1.1 x 10⁷ M_ʘ.^[9]

Ultraviolet Imaging with AstroSat/UVIT

In 2017, the region around IC 4329A was observed using the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) aboard AstroSat, resulting in one of the deepest and sharpest ultraviolet (UV) surveys of its kind. The observations, taken in near-ultraviolet (NUV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) bands, revealed over 4,400 sources in NUV and around 450 in FUV within a 28-arcminute field, with exceptional angular resolution (~1.5 arcseconds) and long exposure times exceeding 80,000 seconds. Researchers conducted detailed astrometric and photometric analysis, cross-matching UV sources with optical (Gaia), X-ray (XMM-Newton), and radio (NVSS) catalogs, identifying stars, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), quasars, and galaxies with unusual morphologies such as rings, bifurcated arms, and merging systems. Several variable sources were detected, and some showed evidence of dual nuclei or ongoing interactions. This UV survey provides important insights into star formation, galaxy evolution, and the environment surrounding the active nucleus of IC 4329A.^[10]

Nearby galaxies

The closest galaxy next to IC 4329A is IC 4329 with the group of IC 4327, 5302, 5304, 5298, PGC 159482 and PGC 48950.^[11]