NGC 4636

NGC 4636
Elliptical galaxy NGC 4636 imaged by SDSS
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationVirgo
Right ascension12h 42m 49.8264s[1]
Declination+02° 41′ 16.08″[1]
Redshift0.003129 ± 0.000014 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity938 ± 4 km/s[1]
Distance53 ± 11 Mly (16.3 ± 3.4 Mpc)[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)9.4 [2]
Characteristics
TypeE/S0_1 [1]
Apparent size (V)6.0 × 4.7
Notable featuresStrong X-ray source
Other designations
UGC 7878, VCC 1939, CGCG 043–002, MCG +01-32-137, PGC 42734[1]

NGC 4636 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the NGC 4753 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.[3] It is located at a distance of about 55 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 4636 is about 105,000 light years across.

It was discovered by William Herschel on February 23, 1784.[4] NGC 4636 lies one and a half degrees southwest of Delta Virginis. It can be viewed through a telescope at a ×23 magnification as a bright oval glow. It is part of the Herschel 400 Catalogue.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4636. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  2. ^ "Revised NGC Data for NGC 4636". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  3. ^ "The Virgo III Groups". Atlas of the Universe. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  4. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 4636 (= PGC 42734)". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  5. ^ O'Meara, Steve (2007). Herschel 400 Observing Guide. Cambridge University Press. p. 150. ISBN 9780521858939.