NGC 4660

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NGC 4660
NGC 4660HST.jpg
HST image of NGC 4660.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation Virgo
Right ascension 12h 44m 32.0s [1]
Declination 11° 11′ 26″ [1]
Redshift 0.003612 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity 1083 km/s [1]
Distance 63  Mly (19.2  Mpc) [1]
Group or cluster Virgo Cluster
Apparent magnitude  (V)12.16 [1]
Characteristics
Type E5 [1]
Size~39,500  ly (12.10  kpc) (estimated) [1]
Apparent size  (V)2.2 x 1.6 [1]
Other designations
CGCG 71-23, MCG 2-33-6, PGC 42917, UGC 7914, VCC 2000 [1]

NGC 4660 is an elliptical galaxy located about 63 million light-years away [2] in the constellation Virgo. [3] The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784 [4] and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. [5] [6]

Contents

NGC 4660 forms a tight pair with Messier 59. [7]

Tidal filament

The filament of NGC 4660 (left) with legacy surveys. On the right is IC 3711. NGC 4660 legacy dr10.jpg
The filament of NGC 4660 (left) with legacy surveys. On the right is IC 3711.

A long tidal filament was detected associated with NGC 4660. This appears to indicate a past gravitational interaction with another galaxy. The progenitor galaxy that may have produced the filament associated with NGC 4660 was a gas-rich spiral. Alternatively, the detection of tidal dwarf galaxies [6] (TDGs) which are “recycled” low-mass galaxies formed from interactions or mergers [8] suggest that the filament originated from a possible satellite galaxy that got stripped during its closest approach in its orbit to NGC 4660. This would make the filament a tidal stream comparable to the stream associated with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy of the Milky Way. [6]

Supermassive black hole

NGC 4660 may have a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 800 million suns (8×108 M☉). [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rogue planet</span> Planetary objects without a planetary system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster</span> Closest neighboring galaxy supercluster

The Hydra–Centaurus Supercluster, or the Hydra and Centaurus Superclusters, is a supercluster in two parts, the closest neighbour of Virgo Supercluster. It is located about 39 Mpc (127 Mly) away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf galaxy</span> Small galaxy composed of up to several billion stars

A dwarf galaxy is a small galaxy composed of about 1000 up to several billion stars, as compared to the Milky Way's 200–400 billion stars. The Large Magellanic Cloud, which closely orbits the Milky Way and contains over 30 billion stars, is sometimes classified as a dwarf galaxy; others consider it a full-fledged galaxy. Dwarf galaxies' formation and activity are thought to be heavily influenced by interactions with larger galaxies. Astronomers identify numerous types of dwarf galaxies, based on their shape and composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messier 86</span> Elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo

Messier 86 is an elliptical or lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1781. M86 lies in the heart of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies and forms a most conspicuous group with another large galaxy known as Messier 84. It displays the highest blue shift of all Messier objects, as it is, net of its other vectors of travel, approaching the Milky Way at 244 km/s. This is due to both galaxies falling roughly towards the center of the Virgo cluster from opposing ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4309</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4309 is a lenticular galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer Christian Peters in 1881 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 5986</span> Globular cluster in the constellation Lupus

NGC 5986 is a globular cluster of stars in the southern constellation of Lupus, located at a distance of approximately 34 kilolight-years from the Sun. It was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop on May 10, 1826. John L. E. Dreyer described it as, "a remarkable object, a globular cluster, very bright, large, round, very gradually brighter middle, stars of 13th to 15th magnitude". Its prograde–retrograde orbit through the Milky Way galaxy is considered irregular and highly eccentric. It has a mean heliocentric radial velocity of +100 km/s. The galacto-centric distance is 17 kly (5.2 kpc), which puts it in the galaxy's inner halo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4323</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4323 is a lenticular or dwarf elliptical galaxy located about 52.5 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered in 1882 by astronomer Wilhelm Tempel and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3311</span> Galaxy in the constellation Hydra

NGC 3311 is a super-giant elliptical galaxy located about 190 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 30, 1835. NGC 3311 is the brightest member of the Hydra Cluster and forms a pair with NGC 3309 which along with NGC 3311, dominate the central region of the Hydra Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 708</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 708 is an elliptical galaxy located 240 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 21, 1786. It is classified as a cD galaxy and is the brightest member of Abell 262. NGC 708 is a weak FR I radio galaxy and is also classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 1395</span> Galaxy in the constellation Eridanus

NGC 1395 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. It is located at a distance of circa 75 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 1395 is about 130,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on November 17, 1784. It is a member of the Eridanus Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4294</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4294 is a barred spiral galaxy with flocculent spiral arms located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4298</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4298 is a flocculent spiral galaxy located about 53 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4299</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4299 is a featureless spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4302</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4305</span> Dwarf spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4305 is a dwarf spiral galaxy located about 100 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on May 2, 1829. Although considered to be a member of the Virgo Cluster, its high radial velocity and blue luminosity suggest it is in fact a background galaxy. The galaxy has a nearby major companion; NGC 4306.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4306</span> Dwarf barred lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4306 is a dwarf barred lenticular galaxy located about 100 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on April 16, 1865. Although considered to be a member of the Virgo Cluster, its high radial velocity and similar distance as NGC 4305 suggest that NGC 4306 is a background galaxy. NGC 4306 is a companion of NGC 4305 and appears to be interacting with it.

The Telescopium−Grus Cloud is a galaxy filament in the constellations of Pavo, Indus, and Telescopium. It was first defined by astronomer Brent Tully in his book The Nearby Galaxies Atlas and its companion book The Nearby Galaxies Catalog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4324</span> Galaxy in the constellation of Virgo

NGC 4324 is a lenticular galaxy located about 85 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest on March 4, 1862. NGC 4324 has a stellar mass of 5.62 × 1010M☉, and a baryonic mass of 5.88 × 1010M☉. The galaxy's total mass is around 5.25 × 1011M☉. NGC 4324 is notable for having a ring of star formation surrounding its nucleus. It was considered a member of the Virgo II Groups until 1999, when its distance was recalculated and it was placed in the Virgo W Group.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4660. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  2. ↑ "Your NED Search Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  3. ↑ "NGC 4660 in the Virgo cluster of galaxies". www.spacetelescope.org. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  4. ↑ "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 4650 - 4699". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  5. ↑ Binggeli, B.; Sandage, A.; Tammann, G. A. (1985-09-01). "Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II - A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area". The Astronomical Journal. 90: 1681–1759. Bibcode:1985AJ.....90.1681B. doi:10.1086/113874. ISSN   0004-6256.
  6. 1 2 3 Kemp, S. N.; Martínez-Robles, C.; Márquez-Lugo, R. A.; Zepeda-García, D.; Franco-Hernández, R.; A. Nigoche-Netro; Ramos-Larios, G.; Navarro, S. G.; Corral, L. J. (2016). "The Tidal Filament of NGC 4660". The Astrophysical Journal. 830 (2): 66. arXiv: 1607.04670 . Bibcode:2016ApJ...830...66K. doi: 10.3847/0004-637x/830/2/66 . ISSN   0004-637X. S2CID   118805307.
  7. ↑ Mamon, G. A. (2008-07-01). "The nature of the nearest compact group of galaxies from precise distance measurements". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 486 (1): 113–117. arXiv: 0803.3181 . Bibcode:2008A&A...486..113M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200809827. ISSN   0004-6361. S2CID   3994849.
  8. ↑ "Galaxy Recycling: the Origins of Tidal Dwarf Galaxies | Department of Astronomy". astronomy.case.edu. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  9. ↑ Pechetti, Renuka; Seth, Anil; Cappellari, Michele; McDermid, Richard; Brok, Mark den; Mieske, Steffen; Strader, Jay (2017-11-13). "Detection of Enhanced Central Mass-to-light Ratios in Low-mass Early-type Galaxies: Evidence for Black Holes?". The Astrophysical Journal. 850 (1): 15. arXiv: 1709.09172 . Bibcode:2017ApJ...850...15P. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa9021 . ISSN   1538-4357. S2CID   119357906.


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