NGC 855

NGC 855 is a star-forming dwarf elliptical galaxy located in the Triangulum constellation.^[2] The discovery and a first description (as H 26 613)^[3] was realized by William Herschel on 26 October 1786 and the findings made public through his Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, published the same year.^[4]

NGC 855
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Triangulum[1]
Right ascension	02h 14m 03.4946s[1]
Declination	27° 52′ 37.966″[1]
Redshift	0.001975±0.000017[1]
Heliocentric radial velocity	592 ± 5 km/s[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)	12.6[1]
Apparent magnitude (B)	13.3[1]
Other designations
NGC 855 • UGC 1718 • PGC 8557 • CGCG 504-035 • MCG +05-06-016 • IRAS 02111+2738 • KUG 0211+276 • 2MASX J02140361+2752378 • CN 26 613

NGC 855's relative velocity to the cosmic microwave background is 343 ± 18 km/s (343 ± 18) km/s, corresponding to a Hubble distance of 5.06 ± 0.44 Mpc (~16.5 million ly).^[1] There is some uncertainty about its precise distance since two surface brightness fluctuation measurements give a distance of 9.280 ± 0.636 Mpc (~30.3 million ly), a range outside the Hubble distance determined by the galaxy's redshift survey.^[5]

Star formation

Using infrared data collected from two regions in the center of the galaxy by the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers were able to suggest NGC 855 to be a star-forming galaxy.^[2] Its HI distribution (Neutral atomic hydrogen emission lines) suggests the star-forming activity might have been triggered by a minor merger.^[2]

See also

• New General Catalogue
• List of NGC objects