ESO 383-76

ESO 383-76

ESO 383-76
The best image of ESO 383-76
Observation data
Constellation	Centaurus
Right ascension	13h 47m 28.38s
Declination	−32° 51′ 53.9″
Redshift	0.03858±0.00003
Helio radial velocity	11,567±9.3 km/s
Galactocentric velocity	11435±11 km/s
Distance	654,200,000 light years
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.252
Characteristics
Type	cD5
Size	905,300 light years
Miscellaneous Info
Other names	ESO 383-76, ESO 383-G 076, Abell 3571 BCG, MCG -05-33-002, PGC 48896

ESO 383-76, also known as ESO 383-G 076, is a large elliptical galaxy in the constellation of Centaurus. Like Alcyoneus, IC 1101, and ESO 248-6, ESO 383-76 is a candidate for the largest galaxy, thought to be 1,764,100 light years in diameter.

Observational History

The first known observations of ESO 383-76 was in the MCG, or Morphological Catalogue of Galaxies, in 1974, where galaxy was assigned the name MCG-05-33-002. In 1982, the ESO/Uppsala Catalogue found the galaxy and gave it the name ESO 383-G 076, because the galaxy was in the 383rd field of the survey, and it was classified as a galaxy, G, and then 76 meaning that it was the 76th entry in the 383rd field. At this time, it was an obscure catalog entry. Many other surveys included the galaxy, like the 1986 Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster Survey and the 1989 Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster Survey. It also helped pinpoint the location of the Great Attractor in 1991.

Size Estimates

There have been many size estimates throughout the years, like the estimate of 1,764,100 light years in 1989, the estimate of 453,400 light years in the same study, and an estimate of over 2,000,000 light years in 1994. The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database lists a diameter of 905,000 light-years, though this estimate is based on an uncertain distance measurement using Tully-Fischer relation in 2007. Adjusting for the more reliable redshift distance gives an estimate of 1,764,100 light-years.

Location

The galaxy is the Bright Central Galaxy (BCG) of Abell 3751.