NGC 2859 is a barred lenticular galaxy located some 83[3] million light years away in the constellation Leo Minor. The morphological classification is (R)SB(r)0+,[4] where the S0+ notation indicates a well-defined physical structure that is lacking in visible spiral arms. It has a strong bar (B) of the "ansae" type, which means it grows brighter or wider toward the tips. A faint, secondary bar is positioned at nearly a right angle to the main bar. These features are surrounded by a weak inner ring (r) that appears diffuse. The outer region of the galaxy hosts a prominent, detached ring (R) that includes a series of blue-hued knots along the eastern side.[4]
| NGC 2859 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 2859 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo Minor |
| Right ascension | 09h 24m 18.549s[1] |
| Declination | +34° 30′ 48.16″[1] |
| Redshift | 1687 ± 8 km/s[2] |
| Distance | 82.8 Mly (25.4 Mpc)[3] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.8[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | (R)SB(r)0+[4] |
| Apparent size (V) | 4′.3 × 3′.8[2] |
| Notable features | Double barred |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 5001, PGC 26649[2] | |
The central supermassive black hole is an estimated 105 million times the mass of the Sun. The nucleus is tentatively classified as a transition type T2:,[3] with no indication of activity.[5]
References
External links
Media related to NGC 2859 at Wikimedia Commons- NGC 2859 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
