NGC 3593 is a lenticular galaxy located 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. It has a morphological classification of SA(s)0/a, which indicates it is a lenticular galaxy of the pure spiral type. Despite this, it has a large amount of

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

, both in its molecular () and atomic (H) form. It is a starburst galaxy, which means it is forming new stars at a high rate. This is occurring in a band of gas surrounding the central nucleus. There is a single arm, which spirals outward from this ring. It is frequently but not consistently identified as a member of the

Leo Triplet The Leo Triplet (also known as the M66 Group) is a small group of galaxies about 35 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy group consists of the spiral galaxies M65, M66, and NGC 3628. Members The table below lists ...

group. This galaxy is known to contain two counter-rotating populations of stars—that is, one set of stars is rotating in the opposite direction with respect to the other. One means for this to occur is by acquiring gas from an external source, which then undergoes star formation. An alternative is by a merger with a second galaxy. Neither scenario has been ruled out. The age of the lower mass, counter-rotating population is younger by about than the primary star population of the galaxy. A dynamical study found that there is likely a supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of NGC 3593. The mass of the SMBH is between and solar masses.

References

External links

HubbleSite NewsCenter: Pictures and description on NGC 3593
{{Ngc40, state=collapsed Unbarred spiral galaxies Leo (constellation) 3593 34257 06272 Virgo Supercluster