NGC 4603

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NGC 4603
NGC 4603.jpg
A Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image of NGC 4603.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Centaurus
Right ascension 12h 40m 55.195s [1]
Declination –40° 58 35.05 [1]
Helio radial velocity +2561 [2] km/s
Distance 106.8 Mly (32.71 Mpc) [2]
Apparent magnitude  (V)12.3 [3]
Characteristics
Type SA(s)c
Size100,000 ly (diameter)
Apparent size  (V)3′.4 × 2′.5 [3]
Other designations
PGC 42510 [3]

NGC 4603 is a spiral galaxy located about 107 [2] million light years away in the constellation Centaurus. It is a member of the Centaurus Cluster of galaxies, belonging to the section designated "Cen30". The morphological classification is SA(s)c, [4] which indicates it is a pure spiral galaxy with relatively loosely wound arms. [5]

During 1999, this galaxy was the subject of an extended study using the Hubble Space Telescope to locate Cepheid variable stars. A total of 43±7 were found, and the measurement of their periodicity gave a net distance estimate of 108.7+5.5
−4.9
 Mly
(33.3+1.7
−1.5
 Mpc
). This is consistent with the distance estimate determined through redshift measurements. As of the time of this study, NGC 4603 was the most distant galaxy for which a distance estimate had been made using Cepheid variable. [6]

On May 21, 2008, supernova SN 2008cn was discovered at a position 23.″2 north and 4.″7 east of the galaxy center. It was determined to be a high-luminosity Type II-P supernova, with a progenitor tentatively identified as a red supergiant with 15 ± 2 solar masses. Based upon the yellowish color, it may have been a member of a binary star system. [7]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4178</span> Barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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References

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  3. 1 2 3 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4603. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
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  7. Elias-Rosa, Nancy; et al. (December 2009), "On the Progenitor of the Type II-Plateau SN 2008cn in NGC 4603", The Astrophysical Journal, 706 (2): 1174–1183, arXiv: 0910.2275 , Bibcode:2009ApJ...706.1174E, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/706/2/1174, S2CID   27405656.