NGC 4762

NGC 4762 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is at a distance of 60 million light years and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. The edge-on view of this particular galaxy, originally considered to be a barred spiral galaxy, makes it difficult to determine its true shape, but it is considered that the galaxy consists of four main components — a central bulge, a bar, a thick disc and an outer ring. The galaxy's disc is asymmetric and warped, which could be explained by NGC 4762 merging with a smaller galaxy in the past. The remains of this former companion may then have settled within NGC 4762's disc, redistributing the gas and stars and so changing the disc's morphology.[2]

NGC 4762
NGC 4762 by Hubble Space Telescope.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationVirgo
Right ascension12h 52m 56.05s[1]
Declination+11° 13′ 51″[1]
Redshift986 ± 5 km/s[1]
Distance58 Mly (17.8 Mpc)[1]
Group or clusterVirgo Cluster
Apparent magnitude (V)11.12
Characteristics
TypeSB(r)0^0^, LINER[1]
Apparent size (V)8.7′ × 1.7′[1]
Other designations
UGC 8016, PGC 43733, VCC 2095[1]

NGC 4762 contains a Liner-type active galactic nucleus, a highly energetic central region. This nucleus is detectable due to its particular spectral line emission, allowing astronomers to measure the composition of the region.[2]

NGC 4762 forms a non-interacting[3] pair with the galaxy NGC 4754.[4]

References
  1. "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4762. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  2. "A galaxy on the edge". www.spacetelescope.org. ESA/Hubble & NASA. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  3. "Object of the Week May 18, 2014 The Flattest Galaxy NGC 4762". www.deepskyforum.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  4. "Detailed Object Classifications". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
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