| NGC 855 | |
| Constellation Name: | Triangulum |
| Appmag V: | 12,6 |
| Appmag B: | 13,3 |
| H Radial V: | 592 ± 5 km/s |
| Names: | NGC 855 • UGC 1718 • PGC 8557 • CGCG 504-035 • MCG +05-06-016 • IRAS 02111+2738 •KUG 0211+276 • 2MASX J02140361+2752378 • CN 26 613 |
NGC 855 is a star-forming dwarf elliptical galaxy located in the Triangulum constellation.[1] The discovery and a first description (as H 26 613)[2] was realized by William Herschel on 26th October 1786 and the findings made public through his Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, published the same year.[3]
NGC 855's relative velocity to the cosmic microwave background is 343 ± 18 km/s (343 ± 18) km/s, corresponding to a Hubble distance of 5.06 ± 0.44 Mpc (~16.5 million ly).[4] There is some uncertainty about its precise distance since two surface brightness fluctuation measurements give a distance of 9.280 ± 0.636 Mpc (~30.3 million ly), a range outside the Hubble distance determined by the galaxy's redshift survey.[5]
Using infrared data collected from two regions in the center of the galaxy by the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers were able to suggest NGC 855 to be a star-forming galaxy. Its HI distribution (Neutral atomic hydrogen emission lines) suggests the star-forming activity might have been triggered by a minor merger.