NGC 3735

Lore & Background

NGC 3735 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 7 December 1801. It is a Seyfert II galaxy, characterized by a bright, quasar-like nucleus that emits strong high-ionisation lines, while the surrounding host galaxy remains clearly visible. The galaxy's supermassive black hole has a mass of 40 million solar masses, determined from near-infrared K-band luminosity measurements of its bulge. A survey for H₂O maser emission in active galactic nuclei conducted in 1996 and 1997 detected one new maser in NGC 3735. One supernova, SN 1998cn (Type Ia, magnitude 15.8), was observed in the galaxy, discovered by Michael Schwartz on 17 June 1998.

Reader's Guide

NGC 3735 holds significance as a Seyfert II galaxy, offering a clear view of both its active nucleus and host galaxy, which aids in understanding the relationship between supermassive black holes and their galactic environments. The detection of a water maser in its active nucleus provides a tool for precise kinematic studies of the central region. The measurement of its supermassive black hole mass contributes to the broader understanding of black hole scaling relations. The galaxy is also the namesake of the NGC 3735 group (LGG 240), a small grouping of three galaxies, placing it in a local cosmic context. The occurrence of a Type Ia supernova, SN 1998cn, adds to the dataset for such standard candles. Discrepancies between its Hubble distance (40.94 ± 2.87 Mpc) and the mean of 19 non-redshift measurements (37.979 ± 1.167 Mpc) highlight ongoing uncertainties in distance determinations for this object.

Did You Know?

• NGC 3735 is a Seyfert II galaxy, meaning its bright nucleus is visible alongside its host galaxy.
• A water maser was discovered in NGC 3735 during a 1996–1997 survey.
• One supernova, SN 1998cn (Type Ia), was observed in the galaxy on 17 June 1998.