NGC 5278 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel in 1789.[1] NGC 5278 is in gravitational interaction with the galaxy NGC 5279. This pair of galaxies appears in the Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies under the symbol Arp 239. The luminosity class of NGC 5278 is II.[2] The nucleus of this galaxy presents a burst of star formation (SBNG starburst nucleus galaxies) and it is an active Seyfert 2 type galaxy. In addition, NGC 5278 is possibly a LINER galaxy, a galaxy whose nucleus presents an emission spectrum characterized by broad lines of weakly ionized atoms.[3] NGC 5278 is also a galaxy whose core shines in the ultraviolet spectrum. It is listed in the Markarian catalog under the reference Mrk 271 (MK 271).[4]
| NGC 5278 | |
|---|---|
NGC 5278 (right) by the Hubble Space Telescope
| |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Ursa Major |
| Right ascension | 13h 41m 39s |
| Declination | +55° 40’ 14” |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 13.6 |
| Surface brightness | 21.72 mag/arcsec2 |