NGC 4945

NGC 4945
NGC 4945 image take by the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationCentaurus
Right ascension13h 05m 27.5s[1]
Declination−49° 28′ 06″[1]
Redshift563 ± 3 km/s[1]
Distance11.7 Mly (3.6 Mpc)[2]
Apparent magnitude (V)9.3[1]
Characteristics
TypeSB(s)cd[1]
Apparent size (V)20.0′ × 3.8′[1]
Other designations
PGC 45279,[1] Caldwell 83
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The location of NGC 4945 (labelled in red)

NGC 4945 (also known as Caldwell 83) is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, visible near the star Xi Centauri.[3] The galaxy was discovered by James Dunlop in 1826 and is thought to be similar to the Milky Way Galaxy, although X-ray observations show that NGC 4945 has an unusual energetic Seyfert 2 nucleus that might house a supermassive black hole.[4] Around the nucleus of the galaxy, there is a dense disk of dust and gas, along with many dense star clusters.[5] This object has an estimated mass of 1.4+1.4
−0.7×1011 M☉.[6]

Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 4945: SN 2005af (Type II, mag. 12.8),[7] and SN 2011ja (type IIP, mag. 14).[8]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference ned was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference karachentsevetal2002 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference docdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference sciday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Gaspar, G.; Díaz, R. J.; Mast, D.; Agüero, M. P.; Schirmer, M.; Günthardt, G.; Schmidt, E. O. (2022). "An Infrared View of the Obscured AGN Environment in NGC 4945". The Astronomical Journal. 163 (5): 230. arXiv:2203.03678. Bibcode:2022AJ....163..230G. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac5ea4. S2CID 247315251.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Graham2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2005af. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  8. ^ Transient Name Server entry for SN 2011ja. Retrieved 25 March 2023.