NGC 5253
NGC 5253 is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Centaurus. It was discovered by William Herschel on 15 March 1787.Properties
NGC 5253 is located within the M83 Subgroup of the Centaurus A/M83 Group, a relatively nearby galaxy group that includes the radio galaxy Centaurus A and the spiral galaxy M83.
NGC 5253 is considered a dwarf starburst galaxy and also a blue compact galaxy. Supernova 1972E, the second-brightest recent supernova visible from Earth, occurred in this galaxy. Another supernova, SN 1895b, also has been recorded in the galaxy.Contents
NGC 5253 contains a giant dust cloud, hiding a cluster of more than one million stars, among them up to 7,000 O-type stars. The cluster is 3 million years old and has a total luminosity of more than one billion suns. It is the site of efficient star formation, with a rate at least 10 times higher than comparable regions in the Milky Way.
Wolf–Rayet stars, a class of blue, massive, and luminous stars, are present in the galaxy in such numbers that their spectra also appear in the galaxy's spectrum. These types of galaxies are known Wolf–Rayet galaxies, and are fairly rare because Wolf–Rayet stars have short lives. NGC 5253 is nearest Wolf-Rayet galaxy to us.
