NGC 4650

NGC 4650 is a barred spiral Hubble-Type SBa in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered by John Herschel on June 26, 1834. The diameter is estimated to be 120.000 Light years and its distance at approx. 124 million light years. This galaxy along with NGC 4616, NGC 4622, NGC 4622A (PGC 42845), NGC 4622B (PGC 42852), NGC 4650A (PGC 42951) and NGC 4661 are a part of the Centaurus Galaxy Cluster. 
Of particular interest is PGC 42951 aka NGC4650A which is classified as a polar ring galaxy, only about 100 such galaxies are currently known. The structure is thought to be the result of a merger between two or more galaxies about 1 billion years ago. The central part of the galaxy is composed of older reddish stars, while the polar ring contains many luminous blue stars indicating the presence of gas and dust. The dust could have been stripped off of the smaller of the two galaxies in the merger or it could have come from a third galaxy, which ventured too close to the merging galaxies. The polar ring has a diameter of about 60.000 light years.
 
Image information:
LRGB (400-160-160-120 min) total 14 h, seeing 0.8-1.2 arc-sec,
80cm f/7 Astrooptik Keller Cassegrain, FLI PL-16803, Astrodon Gen2 filters, Prompt 7 CTIO/UNC Chile
Processing: Konstantin Buchhold
 
Top left: Enlargement of NGC 4650A aka PGC 42951, Top right Enlargement of NGC 4622AB aka PGC 42845 & 42852
Middle: Enlargement of NGC 4650
Bottom: Full field labeled
 

NGC 4650A

NGC 4622AB, PGC 42845 & 42852

 
 
 


Image of NGC 4650
 

NGC 4650A

 
 
 
 
 
 

Last modified on Monday, 05 April 2021 21:05

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