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NGC 5861 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in constellation Libra. It is located at a distance of about 85 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5861 is about 80,000 light years across.
The galaxy features two long spiral arms that dominate the optical disk. The one arm can be traced from its beginning at the center for nearly one and a half revolutions without branching, whereas the other starts to form fragments after one revolution, forming a moderately chaotic pattern. The galaxy hosts a hydroxylmegamaser.
NGC 5861 is the foremost member of a small galaxy group that also includes NGC 5858, which lies 9.6 arcmin north, forming a non-interactive pair. It is located within the same galaxy cloud with NGC 5878.
SN 1971D (type unknown, mag. 15.5) was discovered by Glenn Jolly and Justus R. Dunlap on 24 February 1971. Observations by Hubble Space Telescope indicate that possibly there is a light echo created by SN 1971D.
Block, David L.; Puerari, Ivânio; Stockton, Alan; Ferreira, Dewet (6 December 2012). Toward a New Millennium in Galaxy Morphology: From z=0 to the Lyman Break. Springer. p. 16. ISBN978-9401141147.
de Vaucouleurs, G., de Vaucouleurs, A., and Corwin, H.G. (1976). Second Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. Austin: University of Texas Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
NGC 5861 by PanSTARRS
Media related to NGC 5861 at Wikimedia Commons
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