NGC 3607 is a small but fairly bright[7] lenticular galaxy[3] in the equatorial constellation of Leo, about 2.5° south of the prominent star Delta Leonis.[8] The galaxy was discovered March 14, 1784 by William Herschel. Dreyer described it as "very bright, large, round, very much brighter middle, 2nd of 3".[9] It is located at a distance of 73 million light years and is receding with a radial velocity of 930 km/s.[2] The galaxy lies southwest of NGC 3626 at an angular separation of ~50′.[7] It occupies the center of the Leo II Group of galaxies, forming one of its two brightest members – the other being NGC 3608.[3] It is a member of the NGC 3607 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Leo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the right edge of the Virgo Supercluster.[10]
| NGC 3607 | |
|---|---|
 The nuclear dust disk of NGC 3607 as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 11h 16m 54.657s[1] |
| Declination | +18° 03′ 06.51″[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 930 km/s[2] |
| Distance | 73.4 Mly (22.49 Mpc)[2] |
| Group or cluster | Leo II Group[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.8[4] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA(s)0*[5] |
| Apparent size (V) | 4.9′ × 2.5′[4] (Optical) |
| Other designations | |
| 2MASX J11165465+1803065, NGC 3607, UGC 6297, PGC 34426, SDSS J111654.63+180306.3, SDSS J111654.63+180306.3[6] | |
The morphological class of NGC 3607 is SA(s)0*,[5] matching a lenticular galaxy (SA0) with no inner ring structure (s). It is an intermediate mass galaxy[3] that is being viewed at an inclination of 34°,[5] showing an ellipticity of 0.13 with the major axis oriented along a position angle of 125°.[3] The galaxy has an outer dusty disk with a second perpendicular disk that is falling inward toward the center of the galaxy.[3] X-ray emission from hot gas has been detected in the interior and from all around the galaxy.[5]
A system of 46 confirmed globular clusters have been identified around NGC 3607, which are orbiting within an effective radius of 14.2±2.0 kpc. In contrast, the stellar component of the galaxy has an effective radius of 4.2±1 kpc.[3] Orbital motions of this cluster system[11] imply an unusual poverty of dark matter: perhaps 16%±44% of the total mass within 5 effective radii. Its central black hole has a mass of M• = (1.2±0.4)×108 M☉[12] The core region of the galaxy is kinematically distinct from the remainder of the galaxy and shows an enhancement of magnesium.[5]
References
External links
Media related to NGC 3607 at Wikimedia Commons- NGC 3607 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
