NGC 5363 is a
lenticular galaxy located in the constellation
Virgo. It is located at a distance of circa 65 million
light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5363 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by
William Herschel on January 19, 1784.[4] It is a member of the
NGC 5364 Group of galaxies, itself one of the
Virgo III Groups strung out to the east of the
Virgo Supercluster of galaxies.[5]
Characteristics
NGC 5363 is characterised by the presence of a
dust lane along its minor axis, visible also in
mid-infrared maps,[6] and a more extended one with an intermediate orientation.[7] The total mass of cold dust in the galaxy is estimated to be 2×106M☉, extending for 52 arcseconds in the far-infrared.[8] The dust emission appears as a disk with
spiral arms and a possible barlike structure, and extends at the outer parts of the galaxy as a fainter, armlike structure, along the major axis of the galaxy.[9] The galaxy also features
HII emission that forms a spiral disk.[10]
The total dust mass is about a factor of 100 larger than the one predicted if it was created only by the mass lost by
evolved stars.[7] The galaxy also has shells, which are evidence of a recent
merger, in which NGC 5363 accreted another galaxy, and thus it is strongly suggested that the interstellar dust is of external origin.[10] It is highly likely that this merger event caused
star formation activity in the galaxy, as is evident by the detection of
ultraviolet radiation associated with young stars.[10]
Based on its
spectrum, the nucleus of NGC 5363 has been found to be
active and has been categorised as a
LINER.[11] In the centre of NGC 5363 lies a
supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 375 million
M☉.[12] NGC 5363 has been found to emit
radio waves. The radio source consists of a compact core with a diameter of less than 2 arcseconds and probably an extended component, stretching for about 20 arcseconds.[13]
Nearby galaxies
NGC 5363 is the foremost galaxy in a
galaxy group known as the NGC 5363 group. Other members of the group include
NGC 5300,
NGC 5348,
NGC 5356,
NGC 5360, and
NGC 5364.[14] NGC 5363 and NGC 5364 lie at a projected distance of 14.5 arcminutes, forming a non-interacting pair.[15] The group is part of the Virgo III Groups, a very obvious chain of galaxy groups on the left side of the
Virgo cluster, stretching across 40 million light years of space.[16]
^Ho, Luis C.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Sargent, Wallace L. W. (October 1997). "A Search for "Dwarf Seyfert Nuclei. III. Spectroscopic Parameters and Properties of the Host Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 112 (2): 315–390.
arXiv:astro-ph/9704107.
Bibcode:
1997ApJS..112..315H.
doi:
10.1086/313041.
S2CID17086638.
^de Vaucouleurs, G.; de Vaucouleurs, A.; Corwin, J. R. (1976). "Second reference catalogue of bright galaxies". Second Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. 1976.
Bibcode:
1976RC2...C......0D.