IC 4040
IC 4040 is a type SABc spiral galaxy with a bar in Coma Berenices. It is located 353 million light-years away from the Solar System and has an estimated diameter of 105,000 light-years making it slightly larger than the Milky Way. IC 4040 was discovered on April 12, 1891, by Guillaume Bigourdan and is a member of the Coma Cluster.
Characteristics
IC 4040 is considered a jellyfish galaxy due to its close proximity to the cluster where gas is stripped from the galaxy by the action of ram pressure. A radio continuum tail can seen extending outwards from the galaxy, showing widespread occurrence of relativistic electrons and magnetic fields which is being removed by pressure. The stripped electrons are re-accelerated by turbulence and ICM shocks or by new supernovae, since massive stars can be found in H II regions that are located in its ram pressure stripped tail.According to studies, extended ionized gas can be found surrounding IC 4040. This shows increased radial velocities which reaches up between 400 and 800 kilometer per seconds within distance from the nucleus of the galaxy. Not to mention, a low velocity filament is found at the southeastern edge of IC 4040 which exhibits blue continuum and strong Hα emission. The widths exceeds 200 Å and much more compared to 1000 Å for some knots, indicating the intensive activity of star formation. Some of these filaments show signs of shock emission-line spectra suggesting shock heating plays an important function in excitation and ionization of extended ionized gas. IC 4040 also presents a strong radio source compared to galaxies of type E/SO.