| NGC 4654 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 4654 as imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12 43 42.6 |
| Declination | +13° 07′ 36″ |
| Redshift | 1046 ± 5 km/s |
| Distance | 55.0 Mly |
| Group or cluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.0 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(rs)cd |
| Apparent size (V) | 5.2′ × 1.4′ |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 7902, PGC 42857, VCC 1987 | |
NGC 4654 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo at a distance of 55 million light years (16.8 megaparsecs) from the Milky Way that can be spotted with amateur telescopes.
Physical characteristics
NGC 4654 is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies that shows peculiarities in the distribution of both its atomic hydrogen and molecular hydrogen as well as an asymmetry on the distribution of its stars, with the atomic hydrogen being compressed in the galaxy's northwestern part and forming a tail on its southeastern part. While interactions with Virgo's intracluster medium - that is stripping NGC 4654 of its gas as the galaxy moves through it - can explain its gas distribution, it is unable to explain the peculiarities in the distribution of its stars. It has been proposed that NGC 4654 interacted with its neighbor the spiral galaxy NGC 4639 about 500 million years ago; this, combined with weak ram-pressure stripping due to its motion within the Virgo cluster, may explain its features.
Despite suffering a loss of its neutral gas, NGC 4654 does not suffer the deficiency of it that is shown in many spiral galaxies of the Virgo cluster and also has the star formation typical for a galaxy of its type.
See also
- Messier 88, another spiral galaxy of the Virgo cluster currently suffering ram-pressure stripping.
- NGC 4457
Gallery
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NGC 4654 (SDSS DR14)
References
- ^ "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4654. Retrieved 2012-12-24.
- ^ Koopmann, R.; Kenney, J. D. P. (2004). "Hα Morphologies and Environmental Effects in Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 613 (2): 866–885. arXiv:astro-ph/0406243. Bibcode:2004ApJ...613..866K. doi:10.1086/423191. S2CID 17519217.
- ^ Vollmer, B. (2003). "NGC 4654: Gravitational interaction or ram pressure stripping?". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 398 (2): 525–539. arXiv:astro-ph/0211321. Bibcode:2003A&A...398..525V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20021729. S2CID 7265130.
- Chung, Aeree; van Gorkom, J. H.; Kenney, Jeffrey D. P.; Vollmer, Bernd (2007). "Virgo Galaxies with Long One-sided H I Tails". The Astrophysical Journal. 659 (2): L115–L119. arXiv:astro-ph/0703338. Bibcode:2007ApJ...659L.115C. doi:10.1086/518034. S2CID 13021118.
External links
Media related to NGC 4654 at Wikimedia Commons
