NGC 4102

NGC 4102
NGC 4102 image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationUrsa Major[1]
Right ascension12h 06m 23.115s[2]
Declination+52° 42′ 39.42″[2]
Redshift0.002792[3]
Heliocentric radial velocity837 km/s[4]
Distance59.6 Mly (18.3 Mpc)[5]
Group or clusterUrsa Major group[6]
Apparent magnitude (V)11.2[7]
Apparent magnitude (B)11.8[8]
Characteristics
TypeSAB(s)b,[9][10] SABab[3]
Apparent size (V)2.9′ × 1.8′[7]
Notable featuresLINER[9]
Other designations
IRAS 12038+5259, 2MASX J12062311+5242394, WISE J120623.07+524239.8, UGC 7096, LEDA 38392, MCG MCG+09-20-094, PGC 38392, SDSS J120623.00+524240.1[8]
Preview warning: Page using Template:Infobox galaxy with unknown parameter "image_size"

NGC 4102 is an intermediate[9] barred spiral galaxy located in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. It is visible in a small telescope and has an apparent visual magnitude of 11.2.[7] The galaxy was discovered April 12, 1789 by William Herschel. J. L. E. Dreyer described it as "bright, pretty small, round, brighter middle and bright nucleus".[11] This galaxy is located at a distance of 60[5] million light years and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 837 km/s.[4] It is a member of the Ursa Major group of galaxies.[6]

The morphological class of NGC 4102 is SABab[3] or SAB(s)b?,[10] which is a spiral galaxy with a bar-like feature around the core (SAB), no inner ring structure (s), and moderately tightly-wound spiral arms ('ab' or 'b'). However, the bar in this galaxy is considered particularly small for galaxies of this class.[10] The galactic plane is inclined at an angle of 56°±2° to the line of sight from the Earth.[12] NGC 4102 has a region of intense star formation in the nuclear region, known as a starburst region.[6] This volume is 1,000 ly (310 pc) in diameter containing some 3 billion solar masses.[13] An outflow of hydrogen has been detected, extending outward to the northwest as far as 6.3 kpc (21 kly) from the nucleus.[14]

The core of NHC 4102 is almost certainly an active galactic nucleus (AGN),[15] which indicates it has a supermassive black hole (SMBH) that is generating energy by accreting material.[16] It is an X-ray source with a spectrum similar to a Seyfert 2 galaxy.[15] This type of AGN is known as a Type-2 LINER, or low-ionization nuclear emission-line region. This is due to a core that is obscured by intervening dusty materials and/or the SMBH is accreting material in an inefficient manner. The bolometric luminosity of the active nucleus is ~7×1043 erg·s−1.[16]

One supernova has been observed in NGC 4102: SN 1975E (type unknown, mag. 16.7).[17]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference esahubble was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Skrutskie_et_al_2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Ann_et_al_2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Tully_et_al_2016 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Lianou_et_al_2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Beck_et_al_2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference O'Meara2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference simbad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference ned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Erwin_Debattista_2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Seligman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Verheijen2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference spdaily was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trent_Braun_et_al_2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Mathur_et_al_2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference González-Martín_et_al_2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Transient Name Server entry for SN 1975E. Retrieved 29 March 2023.