NGC 4157 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies about 55 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 4157 is approximately 125,000 light years across.[1] It was discovered by William Herschel on March 9, 1788.[3]

NGC 4157
NGC 4157 and superimposed bright star SAO 28277
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationUrsa Major
Right ascension12h 11m 04.4s[1]
Declination+50° 29′ 05″[1]
Redshift0.002572 ± 0.000005 [1]
Heliocentric radial velocity771 ± 1 km/s[1]
Distance55.8 ± 10 Mly (17.1 ± 3.1 Mpc)[1]
Apparent magnitude (V)11.3[2]
Characteristics
TypeSAB(s)b? [1]
Apparent size (V)7.95 × 1.06[1]
Notable featuresEdge-on galaxy
Other designations
UGC 7183, MCG +09-20-106, CGCG 269-038, IRAS 12085+5045, PGC 38795, 6C B120833.1+504537

Characteristics

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NGC 4157 seen nearly edge-on, with an inclination of 84° based on CO imaging.[4] The total stellar mass of NGC 4157 is (2.92±0.04)×1010 M,[5] while the dust mass is estimated to be 2.1×107 M.[6] The hydrogen disk of NGC 4157 is symmetric and slightly wrapped, indicating no strong interaction with other galaxies, and extends to twice the size of the optical disk.[7] The total HI mass in the galaxy is estimated to be 109.72 M.[7]

The star formation rate of the galaxy is 1.76±0.18 M per year.[5] A star formation area is visible beyond the end of the optical disk and is also visible in X-ray and ultraviolet imaging. It could probably be the result of a recent accretion.[8]

The galaxy has radio emission extending above and below the optical disk, indicating the presence of a radio halo. There is also radio emission extending southwards from the north-eastern end of the disk.[6]

Supernovae

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Three supernovae have been observed in NGC 4157: SN 1937A (mag. 16.2), SN 1955A (mag. 16), and SN 2003J.[9] SN 2003J was a type II supernova which had an apparent magnitude of 16.7 upon discovery.[10][11]

Nearby galaxies

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NGC 4157 is the foremost galaxy of the NGC 4157 Group. Other members of the group include NGC 4085, NGC 4088, UGC 6992, and UGC 7176.[12] UGC 7176 is a companion of NGC 4157, lying 12 arcminutes away.[6] The group is part of the Ursa Major Cluster, a large association of mostly spiral galaxies lying north of the Virgo Cluster, that is part of the Local Supercluster. NGC 4157 is one of the dominant galaxies in the cluster, along with NGC 3769, NGC 3877, NGC 3992, NGC 4111, NGC 4217 and NGC 4346.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for NGC 4157. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  2. ^ "Revised NGC Data for NGC 4157". spider.seds.org. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  3. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "NGC 4157 (= PGC 38795)". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. ^ Yim, Kijeong; Wong, Tony; Xue, Rui; Rand, Richard J.; Rosolowsky, Erik; Hulst, J. M. van der; Benjamin, Robert; Murphy, Eric J. (1 December 2014). "The Interstellar Medium and Star Formation in Edge-On Galaxies. Ii. NGC 4157, 4565, and 5907". The Astronomical Journal. 148 (6): 127. arXiv:1408.5905. Bibcode:2014AJ....148..127Y. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/148/6/127.
  5. ^ a b Lu, Li-Yuan; Li, Jiang-Tao; Vargas, Carlos J; Beck, Rainer; Bregman, Joel N; Dettmar, Ralf-Jürgen; English, Jayanne; Fang, Taotao; Heald, George H; Li, Hui; Qu, Zhijie; Rand, Richard J; Stein, Michael; Wang, Q Daniel; Wang, Jing; Wiegert, Theresa; Zheng, Yun (17 January 2023). "eDIG-CHANGES I: extended Hα emission from the extraplanar diffuse ionized gas (eDIG) around CHANG-ES galaxies". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 519 (4): 6098–6110. arXiv:2212.14824. doi:10.1093/mnras/stad006.
  6. ^ a b c Irwin, J. A.; Brar, R. S.; Saikia, D. J.; Henriksen, R. N. (21 August 2013). "The 617 MHz–λ 850 μm correlation (cosmic rays and cold dust) in NGC 3044 and NGC 4157". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 433 (4): 2958–2974. arXiv:1306.0226. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt937.
  7. ^ a b Zheng, Yun; Wang, Jing; Irwin, Judith; English, Jayanne; Ma, Qingchuan; Wang, Ran; Wang, Ke; Wang, Q Daniel; Krause, Marita; Randriamampandry, Toky H; Li, Jiangtao; Beck, Rainer (29 April 2022). "CHANG-ES XXV: H i imaging of nearby edge-on galaxies – Data Release 4". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 513 (1): 1329–1353. arXiv:2203.07818. doi:10.1093/mnras/stac760.
  8. ^ Vargas, Carlos J.; Walterbos, René A. M.; Rand, Richard J.; Stil, Jeroen; Krause, Marita; Li, Jiang-Tao; Irwin, Judith; Dettmar, Ralf-Jürgen (10 August 2019). "CHANG-ES. XVII. Hα Imaging of Nearby Edge-on Galaxies, New SFRs, and an Extreme Star Formation Region—Data Release 2". The Astrophysical Journal. 881 (1): 26. arXiv:1906.07763. Bibcode:2019ApJ...881...26V. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab27cb.
  9. ^ "Bright Supernova pages - Most prolific galaxies". www.rochesterastronomy.org. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  10. ^ Kushida, R.; Nakano, S.; Puckett, T.; Newton, J.; Langoussis, A.; Boles, T.; Schwartz, M.; Swift, B.; Li, W.; Kobayashi, T.; Koshida, Y. (1 January 2003). "Supernovae 2003J, 2003K, 2003L, 2003M". International Astronomical Union Circular (8048): 1. ISSN 0081-0304.
  11. ^ "SN 2003J | Transient Name Server". www.wis-tns.org. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  12. ^ a b Karachentsev, I. D.; Nasonova, O. G.; Courtois, H. M. (1 March 2013). "Anatomy of Ursa Majoris". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 429 (3): 2264–2273. arXiv:1211.5975. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.429.2264K. doi:10.1093/mnras/sts494.
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