NGC 4013
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NGC 4013 is an edge-on barred spiral galaxy located approximately 55 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It is notable for its distinct peanut-shaped bulge, revealed in long-exposure photographs, which N-body computer simulations suggest is consistent with a stellar bar seen perpendicular to the line of sight. A recent deep color image also uncovered a looping tidal stream of stars extending over 80 thousand light-years from the galactic center, thought to be the remnants of a smaller galaxy torn apart by tidal forces during a collision.
Background
NGC 4013 is a member of the Ursa Major Cluster and belongs to the NGC 4111 Group, which is the second largest group in the Ursa Major Cloud after the NGC 3992 Group. The galaxy's disk exhibits a peanut-shaped bulge in long-exposure photographs, a feature that N-body computer simulations indicate is consistent with a stellar bar oriented perpendicular to the line of sight. An infrared image of the galaxy shows a ring of heavy star formation.
A recent deep color image of NGC 4013 revealed a looping tidal stream of stars extending over 80 thousand light-years from the galactic center. This structure is interpreted as the remnants of a smaller galaxy that was disrupted by tidal forces as it collided with NGC 4013.
In January 1991, M. Shaw reported an apparent supernova seen on an image taken December 30, 1989, at apparent magnitude 12, which was designated SN 1989Z. Later analysis suggested that this object was actually a foreground variable star or an outburst from a cataclysmic variable star, making it a supernova imposter.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: NGC 4013 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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