NGC 3344 is a relatively isolated
located 22.5
million light years away 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 ...
Leo Minor. This galaxy belongs to the group known as the
Leo spur, which is a branch of the
Virgo Supercluster.
NGC 3344 has the
morphological classification (R)SAB(r)bc,
which indicates it is a weakly barred spiral galaxy that exhibits rings and moderate to loosely wound spiral arms.
There is both an inner and outer ring, with the prominent arms radiating outward from the inner ring and the slightly elliptical bar being situated inside. At the center of the bar is an
HII nucleus
HII may refer to:
People
* Xǔ (surname) (), spelled Hii based on its Hakka or Min Dong pronunciations
** Hii King Chiong (born 1957), Malaysian businessman
** Joseph Hii Teck Kwong (born 1965), Malaysian Catholic bishop
** Mimi Hii (born 196 ...
with an
angular diameter of about 3
″.
NGC 3344 hosted supernova SN 2012fh, which was shown to likely be a Type Ib or Type Ic.
References
External links
*
Galex image of NGC 3344
Intermediate spiral galaxies
Leo Minor
3344
05840
31968
17850406
{{Spiral-galaxy-stub