View source for NGC 2608

{{Short description|Galaxy in the constellation Cancer}}
{{Infobox Galaxy
| name = [[New General Catalogue|NGC]] 2608
| image = NGC2608 - HST - Potw2023a.tiff
| caption =  NGC 2608 imaged by the [[Hubble Space Telescope]]
| epoch = [[J2000]]
| constellation name = [[Cancer (constellation)|Cancer]]
| ra = {{RA|08|35|17.3294}} <ref name="ned">
{{cite web
  | website     = NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database
  | publisher   = [[NASA]] and [[California Institute of Technology|Caltech]]
  | title       = Results for NGC 2608
  | url         = http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/nph-objsearch?objname=NGC+2608&img_stamp=yes&extend=no
  | access-date = 7 Dec 2008 
}}</ref>
| dec = {{DEC|+28|28|24.294}} <ref name="ned" />
| z = {{val|0.007192|0.000009}}<ref name="ned" />
| h_radial_v = {{val|2156|3|u=km/s|fmt=commas}}{{r|ned}}
| dist_ly = 93.0&nbsp;[[Light-year|Mly]] (28.5&nbsp;[[Parsec|Mpc]]) <ref name="seiger05">
{{cite journal 
| author  = Seigar, Marc S.
| title   = The connection between shear and star formation in spiral galaxies
| journal = [[Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters]]
| date    = Jul 2005
| volume  = 361
| issue   = 1
| pages   = L20–L24
| doi     = 10.1111/j.1745-3933.2005.00056.x 
| doi-access = free
| bibcode  = 2005MNRAS.361L..20S
|arxiv = astro-ph/0504529 | s2cid = 14616885
}}</ref>
| type = SB(s)b <ref name="ned" />
| appmag_v = 13.01 <ref name="ned" />
| size_v = {{Val|2.3|×|1.4|u=arcminute}}{{r|ned}}
| size = ~{{convert|18.18|kpc|ly|abbr=on|lk=on|order=flip}} (estimated){{r|ned}}
| notes =
| names = {{odlist | IRAS= 08322+2838 | MCG= +05-20-027 | CGCG= 149-055 | UGC= 4484 | Arp= 12 | PGC= 24111}}{{r|ned}}
}}

'''NGC 2608''' (also known as '''Arp 12''') is a [[barred spiral galaxy]] located 93 million [[light-years]] away in the [[constellation]] [[Cancer (constellation)|Cancer]] (the Crab). It was discovered by German-British astronomer [[William Herschel]] on 12 March 1785.<ref name="selig">{{cite web | url = https://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc26.htm#2608 | title = New General Catalogue Objects: NGC{{nbsp}}2608 | last = Seligman | first = Courtney | website = Celestial Atlas | access-date = 5 June 2025}}</ref> It spans 62,000 [[light-years]], approximately 60% of the [[Milky Way]]'s diameter. It is considered a [[grand design spiral galaxy]] and is classified as [[Galaxy morphological classification|SB(s)b]], meaning that the galaxy's arms wind moderately (neither tightly nor loosely) around the prominent central bar.

It was classified under "galaxies with split arms" in the 1966 ''[[Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies]]'' by [[Halton Arp]], who noted that the "nucleus may be double or superimposed star".<ref name="arp66">
{{cite journal 
| author  = Halton Arp
| title   = Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies
| journal = Astrophysical Journal Supplement 
| date    = November 1966
| volume  = 14
| pages   = 1
| doi     = 10.1086/190147 
| bibcode  = 1966ApJS...14....1A
}}</ref>
NGC 2608 is now thought to be a pair of interacting galaxies.<ref name="simbad">
{{cite simbad
  | title = NGC 2608
  | access-date = 8 December 2008
}}</ref>

== [[Supernova]]e ==
*'''SN 1920A''' was discovered on 8 February 1920, with an apparent magnitude of 12.9,  by German astronomer [[Max Wolf]] (1863–1932).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wolf |first=Max |title=Nova oder Variabilis 3.1920 Cancre |journal=Astronomische Nachrichten |date=1920 |volume=210 |pages=373 |bibcode=1920AN....210..373W | doi = 10.1002/asna.19202102106}}</ref> It reached peak brightness on 15 February 1920 at magnitude 12.05.<ref>{{Cite journal | last=Baade | first=Walter | title= The Absolute Photographic Magnitude of Supernovae. | journal=Astrophysical Journal | date=1938 | volume=88 | pages=285 | bibcode=1938ApJ....88..285B | doi=10.1086/143983}}</ref> Its visual magnitude implies an overluminous [[Absolute magnitude|bolometric magnitude]]; SN 1920A has since been classified as anomalous and is believed to be the result of "a completely different explosion mechanism."<ref name="yale99">
{{cite journal 
| author  = Schaefer, Bradley E. | author2  = Girard, Terrence M. | author3 = arjun
| title   = Weird Supernovae: Superluminous, Superfast and Superfaint Examples
| journal = Anni Mirabiles, A Symposium Celebrating the 90th Birthday of Dorrit Hoffleit Held 7–8 March 1997 at Yale University, New Haven, CT.
| date    = 2000
| pages   = 69–70 
| bibcode  = 1999anmi.conf...69S
}}</ref>

*'''SN 2001bg''' was discovered on 9 May 2001 (May 8.943 [[Universal time|UT]]) by noted supernova hunter [[Tom Boles]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201955/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tomboles/ Tom Boles]</ref> of Coddenham, Suffolk, England, with a 0.36&nbsp;m [[Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope]].<ref name="iauc7621">{{cite journal|bibcode=2001IAUC.7621....1H |title=Supernova 2001bg in NGC 2608 |last1=Hurst |first1=G. M. |last2=Boles |first2=T. |last3=Kerner |first3=H. |journal=International Astronomical Union Circular |date=2001 |issue=7621 |page=1 | url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07600/07621.html#Item1}}</ref> When first observed, it had an apparent [[Apparent magnitude|magnitude]] of 14; it later peaked at around 13.7.<ref name="ar01">{{cite web
  | title = 2001 Annual Report
  | publisher = Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams
  | date = 2002
  | url = http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/Comm6/CBATReport2001.html
  | access-date = 5 July 2011
}}</ref> Its [[Spectral lines|spectrum]] indicates that it is a typical [[Type Ia supernova]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gal-Yam |first=A. |last2=Shemmer | first2=O. | last3=Dann | first3= J. |title=Supernova 2001bg in NGC 2608 |journal=International Astronomical Union Circular |date=2001 |volume=7622 |pages=2 |bibcode=2001IAUC.7622....2G | url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iauc/07600/07622.html#Item2}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of NGC objects (2001-3000)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat}}
*{{WikiSky}}

{{Sky|08|35|17.3294|+|28|28|24.294|93000000}}
{{Catalogs|NGC=2608|Arp=12|PGC=24111|UGC=4484}}
{{Stars of Cancer}}
{{Ngc30}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 2608}}
[[Category:Barred spiral galaxies]]
[[Category:Cancer (constellation)]]
[[Category:Arp objects|012]]
[[Category:NGC objects|2608]]
[[Category:Principal Galaxies Catalogue objects|024111]]
[[Category:Discoveries by William Herschel]]
[[Category:Astronomical objects discovered in 1785|17850312]]
[[Category:UGC objects|04484]]
[[Category:MCG objects|+05-20-027]]
[[Category:IRAS catalogue objects|08322+2838]]