NGC 4068

NGC 4068
A picture of the NGC 4068 galaxy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Observation data
Constellation	Ursa Major
Right ascension	12h 04m 2.49s
Declination	+52° 35′ 26″
Distance	4.36  Mpc (14.2  Mly)
Apparent magnitude  (B)	13.3
Characteristics
Type	Dwarf Irregular Galaxy (dIrr)
Size	10,000–12,000  ly (3,100–3,700  pc)
Other designations
IC 757, LEDA 38148, MCG+09-20-079, UGC 7047, II 781, GC 2692

NGC 4068 is an irregular galaxy located 4.36 megaparsecs (14.2 million light-years ^[1] away in the Ursa Major constellation. ^[2] It was discovered on 12 April 1789 by William Herschel using a 18.7-inch f/13 speculum reflector telescope. ^{[3] [4]}

Characteristics

NGC 4068 is a dwarf irregular galaxy 10,000–12,000 light-years in diameter. ^[3] As is the case with most observed galaxies of its type, 4068 has low-metallicity. ^[1] It is currently undergoing a starburst. ^{[2] [5]}

Observations

NGC 4068 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope

In 2014–2015, researchers using SCORPIO-2 obtained the first two spectroscopic observations of an object later dubbed Object #A. ^[1] Said object was later observed again twice in 2020 using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (TDS). Researchers consider the central star in Object #A to be a single star due to TDS observations, excluding the possibility of it being a cluster-ionizing nebula. They hypothesize said star to be 70–80  M_☉ and in the late stage of its evolution, with the most likely categorization being a Wolf–Rayet star. ^[1]

References

1. Yarovova, Anastasiya D; Egorov, Oleg V; Moiseev, Alexei V; Maryeva, Olga V (2022-11-25). "Unveiling the nitrogen-rich massive star in the metal-poor galaxy NGC 4068". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 518 (2): 2256–2272. doi: 10.1093/mnras/stac2949 . ISSN   0035-8711.
2. Sulentic, Jack W.; Tifft, William G. (1980). The revised new general Catalogue of nonstellar astronomical objects (5. print ed.). Tucson, Ariz: The Univ. of Arizona Pr. ISBN   978-0-8165-0421-3.
3. "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 4050 - 4099". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
4. "DOCdb - NGC 4068". www.docdb.net. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
5. "Starbursts in Dwarf Galaxies are a Global Affair - NASA Science". 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2025-08-26.