Object of the Week May19th, 2024 - NGC 4388

[Dragan]

NGC 4388
UGC 7520

Galaxy

Constellation: Virgo

RA: 12 25 47.0
DEC: +12 39 42

Class: SA(s)b: sp
Mag: 13.3
Size: 7.6’ x 1.4’

Located in the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster lies the Great Galactic Face, a moniker not made up by myself. The “face” has its eyes comprised of M86 & M84 – galaxies worthy of their own OOTW. But this week, we’re going to focus on the face’s spindly mouth – NGC 4388.

At a distance of approximately 58Mly, NGC 4388, was first discovered by William Herschel on April 17, 1784 using his 18.7 f/13 speculum mirrored scope. This galaxy, with its highly energetic core, falls into the category of Seyfert 2 galaxies, indicating the presence of an active galactic nucleus driven by a supermassive black hole somewhere on the order of 100 million solar masses. Incidentally, NGC4388 is the first Seyfert galaxy to be identified in the Virgo Cluster.

NGC 4388 stands out not only for its striking structure but also for the dynamic processes it undergoes due to its highly eccentric orbit within the Virgo cluster. One of the most fascinating aspects of this galaxy is its high-velocity interaction with the intergalactic medium of the Virgo Cluster. This interaction has led to substantial ram-pressure stripping events of its gas and dust some ~200 million years ago. The stripping process in NGC 4388 provides profound insights into how galaxies evolve – particularly spiral galaxies - when subjected to the environmental stresses in the areas in which the galaxy resides.

NGC4388 has also contributed significantly to our knowledge of star formation. The displaced gas and dust create regions where new stars are born, offering a natural laboratory to study the conditions and processes that lead to star formation. Being that the Virgo Cluster is the closest cluster to Earth in the northern hemisphere, its close distance allows for kiloparsec resolution and incredibly high detail observations. NGC 4388 is not merely an ordinary barred spiral galaxy but a crucial resource in the study of galactic dynamics, interactions, as well as galactic and stellar evolution.

Visually, NGC4388 has been observed in scopes as small as 8” but like many other objects at DSF, it definitely appears best in scopes larger than 18”. In my 25” NGC 4388 appears as a moderately bright east-west glow with a bright core. Higher power will reveal to you mottling throughout the galaxy, particularly further out into its arms.

NGC4388 is placed in the sky nicely this time of year. And with its close proximity to M84 & M86, it isn’t too difficult to find. So next time you’re out, look for the Great Galactic Face in the heart of the Virgo Cluster. Once you’re there, take a peek at NGC4388 and remind yourself how this ordinary looking barred spiral has contributed immensely to our understanding of stellar and galactic evolution.

And remember, “Give it a go and let us know!”

lossy-page1-1023px-NGC_4388_-_HST_-_Potw1649a.tif.jpg
By ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/inde...curid=53790505


https://www.nao.ac.jp/en/gallery/wee...20-subaru.html
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/fu...a31910-17.html

[Jimi Lowrey]

Nice object Dragan I wounder if you could see with a O III filter the gas being striped from the galaxy?

I will give it a go.

[akarsh]

Whereas I've seen NGC 4388 way many times because of it being part of the Markarian Chain nonet (the 9 galaxies typically seen in a 31mm Nagler FOV on most 18 inchers), I never have observed it carefully and logged it. I did not know that this one suffers ram pressure stripping too.

But however, the nearby NGC 4402 shows signs of ram-pressure stripping pretty clearly on its DSS2 image. That compelled me to give it a look at it through Mr. Lowrey's monster scope where the dust lane appeared distinctly curved concave north.

[Uwe Glahn]

Nice choice Dragan.

I add my sketch with my 27-inch below.

27", 419x, NELM 6m5+, Seeing II-III
NGC4388.jpg
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