File:Spiral_Galaxy_NGC_4945.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
NGC 4945
Sign in to savegalaxy in the M83 group of galaxies
Key facts
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Right ascension
- 13 05 27.279
- Declination
- −49 ° 28 ′ 04.44 ″
- Redshift
- 0.001868 ± 0.00002
- Heliocentric radial velocity
- 563 ± 3 km/s
- Distance
- 10.96 ± 0.55 Mly (3.36 ± 0.17 Mpc )
- Group or cluster
- Centaurus A/M83 Group
- Type
- SB(s)cd?edge
- Mass
- 1.4 +1.4, −0.7 × 10 M ☉
- Size
- 165,185 ly (50.67 kpc ) (estimated)
- Apparent size v
- 20.0′ × 3.8′
- Notable features
- Seyfert 2 galaxy
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Constellation
- Centaurus
- Distance from Earth
- 5.2
- Image
- Spiral Galaxy NGC 4945.jpg
Show 12 more facts
- Commons category
- NGC 4945
- catalog code
- 3XMM J130527.4-492804
- Commons gallery
- NGC 4945
- redshift
- 0.0012
- galaxy morphological type
- SB(s)cd?edge
- discoverer or inventor
- James Dunlop
- time of discovery or invention
- 1826-04-29
- apparent magnitude
- 4.483
- right ascension
- 196.3636625
- declination
- -49.4679000
- radial velocity
- 563
- epoch
- J2000.0
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
NGC 4945 is a widely-studied barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Centaurus, visible near the optical double star Xi Centauri. It is also known as Caldwell 83. The galaxy was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop in 1826. It is located at a distance of approximately 11.0 million light-years (3.36 Mpc) from the Milky Way. NGC 4945 hosts one of the closest active galactic nuclei to Earth and is classified as a Seyfert 2 galaxy.
NGC 4945 is one of the brightest galaxies of the Centaurus A/M83 Group, a large, nearby group of galaxies. The galaxy is the second brightest galaxy in the subgroup centered on Centaurus A.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “NGC 4945” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.