NGC 4559
Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenicies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 4559 (also known as Caldwell 36) is an intermediate spiral galaxy with a weak inner ring structure in the constellation Coma Berenices. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 1,096±20 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 52.7 ± 3.8 Mly (16.17 ± 1.17 Mpc).[1] However, 26 non-redshift measurements give a much closer distance of 24.56 ± 1.58 Mly (7.530 ± 0.483 Mpc).[2] It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 11 April 1785.[3][4]
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| NGC 4559 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4559 imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension | 12h 35m 57.6285s[1] |
| Declination | +27° 57′ 35.851″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.002715±0.000002[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 814 ± 1 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 24.56 ± 1.58 Mly (7.530 ± 0.483 Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.4[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(rs)cd[1] |
| Size | ~92,900 ly (28.48 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 10.7′ × 4.4′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| HOLM 423A, IRAS 12334+2814, UGC 7766, MCG +05-30-030, PGC 42002, CGCG 159-024, C 36[1] | |
NGC 4559 is a member of the Coma I Group.[5][6]
Supernova
Luminous Blue Variable
NGC 4559 is home to the luminous blue variable AT 2016blu (also known as PSN J12355230+2755559, or as NGC 4559OT). It was discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search (LOSS) on 11 January 2012.[9][10] It experiences repeated supernova-like outbursts: first when discovered, then again in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026.[11][12]
See also
- Messier 99 – a similar spiral galaxy
- List of NGC objects (4001–5000)
Gallery
Hubble Space Telescope showing the inner structure
Hubble image of IC 3550, located in NGC 4559.
