| NGC 4660 | |
|---|---|
HST image of NGC 4660.
| |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h44m 32.0s[1] |
| Declination | 11° 11′ 26″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.003612[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1083 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 63 Mly (19.2 Mpc)[1] |
| Grouporcluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.16[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | E5[1] |
| Size | ~39,500 ly (12.10 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.2 x 1.6[1] |
| Other designations | |
| CGCG 71-23, MCG 2-33-6, PGC 42917, UGC 7914, VCC 2000[1] | |
NGC 4660 is an elliptical galaxy located about 63 million light-years away[2] in the constellation Virgo.[3] The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784[4] and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.[5][6]
NGC 4660 forms a tight pair with Messier 59.[7]
A long tidal filament was detected associated with NGC 4660. This appears to indicate a past gravitational interaction with another galaxy. The progenitor galaxy that may have produced the filament associated with NGC 4660 was a gas-rich spiral. Alternatively, the detection of tidal dwarf galaxies[6] (TDGs) which are “recycled” low-mass galaxies formed from interactionsormergers[8] suggest that the filament originated from a possible satellite galaxy that got stripped during its closest approach in its orbit to NGC 4660. This would make the filament a tidal stream comparable to the stream associated with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy of the Milky Way.[6]
NGC 4660 may have a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 800 million suns (8×108 M☉).[9]
