Arp 87 (also known as NGC 3808) is a pair of interacting galaxies, NGC 3808A and NGC 3808B. They are situated in the Leo constellation. NGC 3808A, the brighter, is a peculiar spiral galaxy,[2] while NGC 3808B is an irregular galaxy.[3]
| NGC 3808A | |
|---|---|
 A visible light image of NGC 3808A (right) and 3808B (left). | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 11h 40m 44.4s[1] |
| Declination | +22° 26′ 16″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.023726[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 7113 km/s[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 14.1[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | NGC 3808A: SAB(rs)c? pec[2] I0? pec[3] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.5′ × 0.8′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 3808, UGC 6643[1] NGC 3808A: MCG +04-28-021, PGC 36227[2] NGC 3808B: MCG +04-28-020, PGC 36228[3] | |
The two galaxies were discovered on 10 April 1785 by William Herschel. The two are located about 330 million light-years (100 megaparsecs) away from the Earth.[4] Arp 87 was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2007, which revealed massive clouds of gas and dust flowing from one galaxy to another. Additionally, both galaxies appear to have been distorted.[5]
See also
References
External links
Media related to NGC 3808 at Wikimedia Commons- "Spiraling tentacles of galactic doom!". Discover Magazine Blogs. Discover Magazine. 2007.
