02h34m13.385s, +29° 18′ 40.47″| NGC 972 | |
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NGC 972 taken by Hubble Space Telescope.[1]
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| Observation data (J2000[2] epoch) | |
| Constellation | Aries |
| Right ascension | 02h34m 13.385s[3] |
| Declination | +29° 18′ 40.47″[3] |
| Redshift | 0.005147[2] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1,541 km/s[4] |
| Distance | 49.8 Mly (15.28 Mpc)[4] |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 12.1[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Sb or Sd[5] |
| Mass | 1.2×1010 M☉[5] M☉ |
| Apparent size (V) | 10 arcmin[6] |
| Other designations | |
| LEDA 9788, MCG+05-07-010, UGC 2045[2] | |
NGC 972 is a dusty[5] spiral galaxy in the northern constellationofAries, located at an approximate distance of 49.8 Mly[4] from the Milky Way. It was discovered in 1784 by William Herschel. The galactic features suggest it may have undergone a merger with a gas-rich companion, giving it asymmetrical arms, plus starburst activity in the nucleus and an off-planar nuclear ring. The inner 3.6 kpc of the galaxy is undergoing star formation at the rate of 2.1–2.7 M☉·yr−1,[7] but it lacks a nuclear bulge.[5]
On October 16, 2008, a possible supernova event was observed about 16.2″ west and 19.5″ north of the Galactic Center. It reached magnitude 14.7 in the infrared K' band, but only a possible very faint transient event was observed in the visual frequency range, most likely as a result of strong extinction.[8]
The group of galaxies around NGC 972 is sometimes referred to as the "NGC 972 group," which includes NGC 1012, NGC 1056, UGC 1958, UGC 2017, UGC 2053, and UGC 2221.[9][10]
Media related to NGC 972 at Wikimedia Commons
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