NGC 4473
| NGC 4473 | |
|---|---|
The elliptical galaxy NGC 4473 as imaged by the HST.
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| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension | 12h 29m 48.9s |
| Declination | 13° 25′ 46″ |
| Redshift | 0.007485 |
| Helio radial velocity | 2244 km/s |
| Distance | 49.6 Mly (15.2 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.16 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | E5 |
| Size | ~ 69 kly (estimated); 21 kpc |
| Apparent size (V) | 4.5' × 2.5' |
| Other designations | |
| CGCG 70-125, MCG 2-32-93, PGC 41228, UGC 7631, VCC 1231 | |
NGC 4473 is an elliptical galaxy located about 50 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784. NGC 4473 has an inclination of about 71°. NGC 4473 is a member of a chain of galaxies called Markarian's Chain which is part of the larger Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
NGC 4473 has two counter-rotating stellar discs embedded in the inner regions of the galaxy. They may have been caused the accretion of gas from outside the galaxy, or by the mergers of gas-rich galaxies.
NGC 4473 has a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of roughly 100 million solar masses (1×108 M☉). If it were placed in the center of the Solar System, it would extend out toward the Asteroid belt.
Image of the central region of the Virgo cluster of galaxies. NGC 4473 is in the upper-left central portion of the image.
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