NGC 4459
Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenicies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 4459 is a lenticular galaxy located about 50 million light-years away[2] in the constellation of Coma Berenices.[3] NGC 4459 is also classified as a LINER galaxy.[2] NGC 4459 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on January 14, 1787.[4] NGC 4459 is a member of the Virgo Cluster.[5]
Right ascension12h 29m 00.0s[1]
Declination13° 58′ 42″[1]
| NGC 4459 | |
|---|---|
The central dust lane of NGC 4459 as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension | 12h 29m 00.0s[1] |
| Declination | 13° 58′ 42″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.003976/1192 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 52,500,000 ly |
| Group or cluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.32 [1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA0^+(r), LINER[1] |
| Size | ~ 54,770 ly |
| Apparent size (V) | 3.5 x 2.7[1] |
| Other designations | |
| CGCG 70-116, IRAS 12264+1415, MCG 2-32-83, PGC 41104, UGC 7614, VCC 1154 [1] | |
Physical characteristics
Dust disk
NGC 4459 has a central flocculent dust disk that surrounds an inner ring.[6][7] Also, there appears to be evidence of ongoing star formation in the disk .[7]
Super massive black hole
NGC 4459 has a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of roughly 70 million suns (7×107 M☉). Its diameter is estimated to be around 2.87 astronomical units[8] (266.4 million mi).[9]
