NGC 4473

NGC 4473 is an elliptical galaxy[2] located about 50 million light-years away[3] in the constellation of Coma Berenices.[4] It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784.[5] NGC 4473 has an inclination of about 71°.[6] NGC 4473 is a member of a chain of galaxies called Markarian's Chain which is part of the larger Virgo Cluster of galaxies.[7][8]

NGC 4473
SDSS image of the elliptical galaxy NGC 4473.
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationComa Berenices
Right ascension12h 29m 48.9s[1]
Declination13° 25′ 46″[1]
Redshift0.007485[1]
Helio radial velocity2244 km/s[1]
Distance52.74 Mly
Group or clusterVirgo Cluster
Apparent magnitude (V)11.16[1]
Characteristics
TypeE5[1]
Size~ 68.5 kly (estimated); 21 kpc[1]
Apparent size (V)4.5' × 2.5'[1]
Other designations
CGCG 70-125, MCG 2-32-93, PGC 41228, UGC 7631, VCC 1231[1]

Globular Clusters

NGC 4473 has an estimated population of 376 ± 97 globular clusters.[9] The clusters may have formed from the result of multiple minor mergers that helped form the outer regions of the galaxy.[3]

Counter–rotating features

NGC 4473 has two counter-rotating stellar discs embedded in the inner regions of the galaxy. They may have formed from the accretion of gas from outside the galaxy, or by the mergers of gas-rich galaxies.[3]

Supermassive Black Hole

Using the HST and spectroscopic data from the ground to measure the motions of stars in the center of the galaxy, Douglas Richstone and colleagues at the University of Michigan have concluded that NGC 4473 has a supermassive black hole[10] with an estimated mass of roughly 100 million solar masses (1×108 M☉).[11][12] Its diameter is estimated to be around 4.459 astronomical units (415 million mi).[13]

See also

References
  1. "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4473. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  2. "Your NED Search Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  3. Alabi, Adebusola B.; Foster, Caroline; Forbes, Duncan A.; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Pastorello, Nicola; Brodie, Jean P.; Spitler, Lee R.; Strader, Jay; Usher, Christopher (25 June 2015). "The SLUGGS Survey: Globular cluster kinematics in a "double sigma" galaxy - NGC 4473". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 000 (2): 2208. arXiv:1506.07882. Bibcode:2015MNRAS.452.2208A. doi:10.1093/mnras/stv1426. S2CID 62794454.
  4. Rojas, Sebastián García. "Galaxy NGC 4473 - Galaxy in Coma Berenices Constellation · Deep Sky Objects Browser". DSO Browser. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  5. "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 4450 - 4499". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  6. Schulze, Andreas; Gebhardt, Karl (1 March 2011). "Effect of a Dark Matter Halo on the Determination of Black Hole Masses". The Astrophysical Journal. 729:21 (1): 21. arXiv:1011.5077. Bibcode:2011ApJ...729...21S. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/729/1/21. S2CID 118421255.
  7. "Exploring the Coma-Virgo Cloud" (PDF). GEMINI. 2:12: 1–9. April 1978.
  8. French, Sue (2004). "Deep-Sky Wonders: Markarian's Chain". Sky & Telescope. 107 (5): 88–91.
  9. Rhode, Katherine L. (2012). "Exploring the Correlations between Globular Cluster Populations and Supermassive Black Holes in Giant Galaxies". The Astronomical Journal. 144 (5): 154. arXiv:1210.4570. Bibcode:2012AJ....144..154R. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/144/5/154. hdl:2022/19083. ISSN 1538-3881. S2CID 118565802.
  10. O'Meara, Stephen James (2011-06-30). Deep-Sky Companions: The Secret Deep. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50007-4.
  11. "List of black hole candidates". www.johnstonsarchive.net. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  12. "NGC 4473 Fact Sheet - StarDate's Black Hole Encyclopedia". blackholes.stardate.org. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  13. "Wolfram|Alpha: Computational Knowledge Engine". www.wolframalpha.com. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
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