NGC 602 explained

NGC 602 is a young, bright open cluster of stars located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way. It was discovered on 1 August 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop.^[6] It is embedded in a nebula known as N90.

Radiation and shock waves from the stars of NGC 602 have pushed away much of the lighter surrounding gas and dust that is N90, and this in turn has triggered new star formation in the ridges (or "elephant trunks") of the nebula. These even younger, pre-main sequence stars are still enshrouded in dust but are visible to the Spitzer Space Telescope at infrared wavelengths.^[7] The cluster is of particular interest because it is located in the wing of the SMC leading to the Magellanic Bridge. Hence, while its chemical properties should be similar to those of the rest of the galaxy, it is relatively isolated and so easier to study.^[8]

NGC 602 contains three main condensations of stars. The central core is NGC 602a, with the compact NGC 602b 100 arc-seconds to the NNW. NGC 602c is a looser grouping 11 arc-minutes to the NE, which includes the WO star AB8.^[9]

NGC 602 includes many young O and B stars and young stellar objects, with few evolved stars.^[10] Ionisation in the nebula is dominated by Sk 183, an extremely hot O3 main sequence star visible as the bright isolated star at the centre of the Hubble image.^[11]

A number of other, more distant galaxies also appear in the background of the Hubble Space Telescope images of NGC 602, making for a "tantalizing"^[12] and "grand"^[13] view.

See also

• List of NGC objects (1–1000)

External links

• • NGC 602: Taken Under the "Wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud
• Jan 8, 2007 NASA/ESA HST news and photo release on N90 (at the heart of which lies NGC 602)
• NASA/ESA video 'Zooming on NGC 602' (Hubble Space Telescope)
• NGC 602 @ SEDS NGC objects pages\
• "Progressive star formation in the young SMC cluster NGC 602" Carlson, L. R., et al., 2007 ApJL 665, 109
• "The Initial Mass Function of the Stellar Association NGC 602 in the Small Magellanic Cloud with Hubble Space Telescope ACS Observations" Schmalzl, M., et al. 2008 ApJ 681, 290
• "NGC 602 Environment, Kinematics and Origins" Nigra, L., et al., 2008 PASP 120, 972

Notes and References

1. NGC 602 . 2013-04-04.
2. Web site: Hubble Observes Infant Stars in Nearby Galaxy . HubbleSite . 2007-01-10.
3. 1961AJ.....66..169L. A new catalogue of emission-line stars and planetary nebulae in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Astronomical Journal. 66. 169. Lindsay. E. M.. 1961. 10.1086/108396. free.
4. 1964MNRAS.127..429W. The distribution of stars in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud-The region NGC 602. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 127. 5. 429–448. Westerlund. B. E.. 1964. 10.1093/mnras/127.5.429. free.
5. NGC 602 and Beyond . 10 January 2007 . 2007-01-10.
6. Web site: New General Catalogue Objects: NGC602 . Seligman . Courtney . Celestial Atlas . 29 August 2024 .
7. Web site: NGC 602: Ongoing Star Formation in a Young SMC Cluster. Hubble Heritage Project. January 2007. 2007-02-09.
8. Discovery of a Pre-main sequence Population in SMC cluster, NGC 602 with HST/ACS and SST/IRAC . 1475, 185.03 . 207 . Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society . 2005AAS...20718503C . Carlson . L. R. . Sirianni . M. . Hora . J. L. . Sabbi . E. . Nota . A.. Antonella Nota . Meixner . M. . Clampin . M. . Gallagher . J. . Oey . M. S. . Pasquali . A. . Smith . L. J. . Tosi . M. . Walterbos . R. . 2005 .
9. 1964MNRAS.127..429W. The distribution of stars in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud-The region NGC 602. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 127. 5. 429–448. Westerlund. B. E.. 1964. 10.1093/mnras/127.5.429. free.
10. 2012ApJ...748...64G. 1201.3081. The Clustered Nature of Star Formation. Pre-main-sequence Clusters in the Star-forming Region NGC 602/N90 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Astrophysical Journal. 748. 1. 64. Gouliermis. Dimitrios A.. Schmeja. Stefan. Dolphin. Andrew E.. Gennaro. Mario. Tognelli. Emanuele. Prada Moroni. Pier Giorgio. 2012. 10.1088/0004-637X/748/1/64. 119206857.
11. 2012ApJ...753..173E. A Rare Early-type Star Revealed in the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The Astrophysical Journal. 753. 2. 173. Evans. C. J.. Hainich. R.. Oskinova. L. M.. Gallagher. J. S.. Chu. Y.-H.. Gruendl. R. A.. Hamann. W.-R.. Hénault-Brunet. V.. Todt. H.. 2012. 10.1088/0004-637X/753/2/173. 1205.2387 . 119208446.
12. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070110.html APOD: 2007 January 10 - NGC 602 and Beyond
13. Web site: New Stars Shed Light On The Past. 2007-01-09. 2007-02-09. Science Daily.