Maffei 2
Encyclopedia
Maffei 2 is an intermediate spiral galaxy
about 10 million
light-year
s away in the constellation
Cassiopeia
. Maffei 2 and Maffei 1
were both discovered by Paolo Maffei
in 1968 from their infrared emission. Maffei 2 lies in the Zone of Avoidance
and is about 99.5% obscured by the Milky Way
's foreground dust clouds, and as a result is barely detectable at optical wavelengths. It had been suggested soon after its discovery that Maffei 2 may be a member of the Local Group
, but it is now thought to be a member of another nearby group, the IC 342/Maffei Group, the group of galaxies that is the closest to the Local Group
.
Intermediate spiral galaxy
An intermediate spiral galaxy is a galaxy that is in between the classifications of a barred spiral galaxy and an unbarred spiral galaxy. It is designated as SAB in the galaxy morphological classification scheme.-Grades:...
about 10 million
1 E23 m
To help compare different orders of magnitude, this page lists distances starting at 100 Zm .Distances shorter than 100 Zm* 140 Zm — 15 million light years — Distance to Centaurus A galaxy...
light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (constellation)
Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
. Maffei 2 and Maffei 1
Maffei 1
Maffei 1 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. It is the closest giant elliptical galaxy to the Milky Way. Once believed to be a member of the Local Group, it is now known to belong to the IC 342/Maffei Group...
were both discovered by Paolo Maffei
Paolo Maffei
Paolo Maffei was an Italian astronomer and science writer.He was born in Foligno and he has been former director of the Catania Observatory and an astronomer at Arcetri, Bologna, Asiago and Hamburg...
in 1968 from their infrared emission. Maffei 2 lies in the Zone of Avoidance
Zone of Avoidance
The Zone of Avoidance is the area of the night sky that is obscured by our own galaxy, the Milky Way.-Term:The ZOA was originally called the "Zone of Few Nebulae" in an 1878 paper by English astronomer Richard Proctor that referred to the distribution of "nebulae" in Sir John Herschel's General...
and is about 99.5% obscured by the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
's foreground dust clouds, and as a result is barely detectable at optical wavelengths. It had been suggested soon after its discovery that Maffei 2 may be a member of the Local Group
Local Group
The Local Group is the group of galaxies that includes Earth's galaxy, the Milky Way. The group comprises more than 30 galaxies , with its gravitational center located somewhere between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy...
, but it is now thought to be a member of another nearby group, the IC 342/Maffei Group, the group of galaxies that is the closest to the Local Group
Local Group
The Local Group is the group of galaxies that includes Earth's galaxy, the Milky Way. The group comprises more than 30 galaxies , with its gravitational center located somewhere between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy...
.
External links
- SIMBAD: UGCA 39 -- Galaxy
- SEDS: Spiral Galaxy Maffei 2
- Maffei2
- Galaxies Beyond the Heart: Maffei 1 and 2 = Astronomy Picture of the DayAstronomy Picture of the DayAstronomy Picture of the Day is a website provided by NASA and Michigan Technological University . According to the website, "Each day a different image or photograph of our universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer."The photograph is not necessarily...
2010 March 9