NGC 2404
| Emission nebula | |
|---|---|
| H II region | |
NGC 2404 is the giant H II region to the left | |
| Observation data: J2000 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 07h 36m 51.4s |
| Declination | +65° 36′ 09″ |
| Distance | 9,650,000 ly (2,960,000 pc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | +16.9 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 20 arcsecs |
| Constellation | Camelopardalis |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 470 (estimated) ly |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | -14.5 |
| Notable features | Massive H II region, the largest one in NGC 2403. |
NGC 2404 is a massive H II region inside NGC 2403, a spiral galaxy in Camelopardalis. It was discovered on February 2, 1886 by Gulliaume Bigourdan. NGC 2404 is approximately 940 ly in diameter, making it one of the largest H II regions so far known. It is the largest H II region in NGC 2403, and lies at the outskirts of the galaxy, making for a striking similarity with NGC 604 in M33, both in size and location in the host galaxy. This H II region contains 30-40 Wolf-Rayet stars, and unlike the Tarantula Nebula, but similar to NGC 604, NGC 2404's open cluster is probably much less compact, so it probably looks like a large stellar association. This H II region is probably only a few million years old.