NGC 4559 (also known as Caldwell 36) is an intermediate spiral galaxy with a weak inner ring structure in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

Coma Berenices Coma Berenices is an ancient asterism in the northern sky, which has been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is in the direction of the fourth galactic quadrant, between Leo and Boötes, and it is visible in both hemisphere ...

. Distance estimates for NGC 4559 range from about 28 million

light-year A light-year, alternatively spelled light year, is a large unit of length used to express astronomical distances and is equivalent to about 9.46 trillion kilometers (), or 5.88 trillion miles ().One trillion here is taken to be 1012 ...

s to 31 million light-years, averaging about 29 million light-years. NGC 4559 is a member of the

Coma I Group The Coma I Group is a group of galaxies located about away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The brightest member of the group is NGC 4725. The Coma I Group is rich in spiral galaxies while containing few elliptical and lenticular galaxies. ...

. Two

supernovae A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when a ...

have been recorded in NGC 4559, A Type II-L supernova in 1941 (SN 1941A) and an unclassified supernova event in 2019. The

luminous blue variable Luminous blue variables (LBVs) are massive evolved stars that show unpredictable and sometimes dramatic variations in their spectra and brightness. They are also known as S Doradus variables after S Doradus, one of the brightest stars of the Larg ...

AT2016blu in NGC 4559 experiences repeated supernova-like outbursts. First observed in January 2012, it burst out again in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Gallery

NGC_4559_hst_09042_R814B450.png,

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versa ...

showing the inner structure

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 4559 Intermediate spiral galaxies Coma Berenices 4559 07766 42002 036b Coma I Group

See also

Gallery

References

External links