| NGC 4762 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4762 by Hubble Space Telescope.
| |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h52m 56.05s[1] |
| Declination | +11° 13′ 51″[1] |
| Redshift | 986 ± 5 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 58 Mly (17.8 Mpc)[1] |
| Grouporcluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.12 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(r)0^0^, LINER[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 8.7′ × 1.7′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 8016, PGC 43733, VCC 2095[1] | |
NGC 4762 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is at a distance of 60 million light years and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. The edge-on view of this particular galaxy, originally considered to be a barred spiral galaxy, makes it difficult to determine its true shape, but it is considered that the galaxy consists of four main components — a central bulge, a bar, a thick disc and an outer ring. The galaxy's disc is asymmetric and warped, which could be explained by NGC 4762 merging with a smaller galaxy in the past. The remains of this former companion may then have settled within NGC 4762's disc, redistributing the gas and stars and so changing the disc's morphology.[2]
NGC 4762 contains a Liner-type active galactic nucleus, a highly energetic central region. This nucleus is detectable due to its particular spectral line emission, allowing astronomers to measure the composition of the region.[2]
NGC 4762 forms a non-interacting[3] pair with the galaxy NGC 4754.[4]
