NGC 3504
Galaxy in the constellation Leo Minor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 3504 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo Minor. It has a Hubble distance corresponding to 88 million light-years[3] and was discovered by William Herschel in 1785.[4]
| NGC 3504 | |
|---|---|
NGC 3504 imaged by the Mount Lemmon Observatory SkyCenter using the 0.8m Schulman Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Right ascension | 11h 03m 11.2s[1] |
| Declination | +27° 58′ 21″[1] |
| Redshift | 1534 ± 2 km/s[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.67[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R)SAB(s)ab[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.7′ × 2.1′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 6118, MCG +05-26-039, PGC 33371[2] | |
The luminosity class of NGC 3504 is I-II, with a broad HI line containing regions of ionized hydrogen. Additionally, it is classfied as a starburst galaxy.[5]
There is a large amount of molecular gas centered on the galactic nucleus. Compared with other barred spiral galaxies, NGC 3504 is in an early phase of its evolution.[6]
Morphology
NGC 3504 is classified as a type (R1')SAB(rs)ab galaxy.[7][8] It has a bright point-like nucleus embedded inside its galactic budge that is crossed by a thin bar. It has spiral arms found wrapping around its inner ring which then peels off to form an outer, broken pseudo-ring. The galaxy shows little evidence of star formation.[9]
Star-forming disk
According to Hubble Space Telescope, a star-forming disk has been found around the nucleus of NGC 3504, which the size of the disk's axis is estimated to be 200 pc (~650 light years).[10]
Mass
The mass of NGC 3504 has been difficult to narrow down, but it is believed to be between 2.5*109 M⊙ and 9*109 M⊙.[11]
Supermassive black hole
The supermassive black hole in NGC 3504 is estimated to be 107.8 M○ (or 63 million solar masses), according to near-infrared K-band brightness measurements for the galaxy's budge.[12]
Supernovae
Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 3504:
- SN 1998cf (type unknown, mag. 15) was discovered in March 1998 by Eric Emsellem via CCD images captured at Canada-France-Hawaii Observatory and also by Karl Gordon and Geoffrey Clayton from Louisiana State University.[13][14]
- SN 2001ac (type gap, mag. 18.2) was discovered by LOTOSS (Lick Observatory and Tenagra Observatory Supernova Searches) on 12 March 2001.[15] This supernova was initially thought to be type IIn or LBV,[16] but later analysis concluded that it was a Calcium-rich supernova, sometimes referred to as a "gap" transient.[17]
NGC 3504 group
NGC 3504 is the brightest member of the NGC 3504 Group (also known as LGG 227), which is a member of the Leo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the right edge of the Virgo Supercluster.[18] There are eight other galaxies in the group including NGC 3380, NGC 3400, NGC 3414, NGC 3451, NGC 3512, UGC 5921 and UGC 5958.[19] This NGC 3504 group is also mentioned by Abraham Mahtessian in his research paper published in 1998.[20]
