NGC 4526 | |
---|---|
Observation data ( J2000 epoch) | |
Constellation | Virgo |
Right ascension | 12h 34m 03.029s [1] |
Declination | +07° 41′ 56.90″ [1] |
Redshift | 0.001494±0.000027 |
Heliocentric radial velocity | 448±8 km/s [2] |
Distance | 55±5
Mly (16.9±1.6
Mpc)
[3] 52 Mly (15.8 Mpc) [4] |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.7 [2] |
Characteristics | |
Type | SAB(s)0° [5] |
Apparent size (V) | 7′.2 × 2′.4 [2] |
Other designations | |
NGC 4560, [2] UGC 7718, [2] PGC 41772 [2] |
NGC 4526 (also listed as NGC 4560) is a lenticular galaxy with an embedded dusty disc, located approximately 55 million light-years from the Solar System [3] in the Virgo constellation and discovered on 13 April 1784 by William Herschel. [6]
The galaxy is seen nearly edge-on. The morphological classification is SAB(s)0°, [5] which indicates a lenticular structure with a weak bar across the center and pure spiral arms without a ring. [7] It belongs to the Virgo cluster and is one of the brightest known lenticular galaxies. [5] In the galaxy's outer halo, globular cluster orbital velocities [8] indicate abnormal poverty of dark matter: only 43±18% of the mass within 5 effective radii.
The inner nucleus of this galaxy displays a rise in stellar orbital motion that indicates the presence of a central dark mass. The best fit model for the motion of molecular gas in the core region suggests there is a
supermassive black hole with about 4.5+4.2
−3.0×108 (450 million) times the
mass of the Sun.
[9] This is the first object to have its black-hole mass estimated by measuring the rotation of gas molecules around its centre with an
astronomical interferometer (in this case the
Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy).
Supernova SN 1969E was discovered in this galaxy in 1969, reaching a peak magnitude of 16. [10] In 1994, a type Ia supernova was discovered about two weeks before reaching peak brightness. Designated SN 1994D, it was caused by the explosion of a white dwarf star composed of carbon and oxygen. [11]