NGC 4378
Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 4378 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 2,903±24 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 139.7 ± 9.8 Mly (42.82 ± 3.02 Mpc).[1] Also, six non-redshift measurements give a similar distance of 136.50 ± 16.23 Mly (41.850 ± 4.975 Mpc).[2] It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 2 February 1786.[3][4] It is a member of the Virgo Cluster, listed as VCC 785.
.jpg)
| NGC 4378 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4378 imaged by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 25m 18.1071s[1] |
| Declination | +04° 55′ 30.524″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.008536±0.00001[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 2,559±3 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 136.50 ± 16.23 Mly (41.850 ± 4.975 Mpc)[1] |
| Group or cluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.63[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R)SA(s)a[1] |
| Size | ~131,000 ly (40.17 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.9′ × 2.7′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| VCC 785, IRAS F12227+0512, 2MASX J12251807+0455300, UGC 7497, MCG +01-32-052, PGC 40490, CGCG 042-092[1] | |
NGC 4378 is a Seyfert II galaxy, i.e. it has a quasar-like nucleus with very high surface brightnesses whose spectra reveal strong, high-ionisation emission lines, but unlike quasars, the host galaxy is clearly detectable.[5][6]
Supermassive black hole
A study based on near-infrared K-band luminosity measurements of the NGC 4378 bulge gives a value of 1000000 M☉ (108 million solar masses) for the supermassive black hole there.[7]
According to the authors of a paper published in 2012, knowledge of the mass of a central black hole and the rate of accretion by it makes it possible to estimate the rate of star formation in the central region of Seyfert-type galaxies. The rate for NGC 4378 would be between 0.059M☉ / year and 0.56M☉ / year, respectively, within and outside a radius of 1 kpc.[8]
