NGC 1701

NGC 1701
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationCaelum
Right ascension04h 55m 50s
Declination-29° 52’ 59”
Redshift0.019467
Heliocentric radial velocity5,836 km/s
Distance282 Mly (86.46 Mpc)
Apparent magnitude (V)12.8
Apparent magnitude (B)13.6
Surface brightness22.65 mag/arcsec^2
Characteristics
TypeSAb
Size171,000 ly
Apparent size (V)1.2' x 0.9'
Other designations
PGC 16352, ESO 422-11, MCG -05-012-10, IRAS 04539-2957

NGC 1701, also known as the Trekkie Galaxy,[1] is a large spiral galaxy located in the constellation Caelum. Its speed relative to the cosmic microwave background is 5,836 ± 24 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 86.1 ± 6.0 Mpc (∼281 million ly).[2] It was discovered by the British astronomer John Herschel in 1834.[2][3][4]

The luminosity class of NGC 1701 is II and it has a broad HI line.[2]

The galaxy got its nickname due to its technical name (NGC 1701) being very similar to the designation of Star Trek's Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701).[1]

  1. ^ a b "Trekkie Galaxy (NGC 1701) | Deep⋆Sky Corner". www.deepskycorner.ch. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  2. ^ a b c "By Name | NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  3. ^ "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 1700 - 1749". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  4. ^ "Revised NGC & IC Catalog List". astrovalleyfield.ca. Retrieved 2024-07-22.