NGC 3953 is a barred

spiral galaxy Spiral galaxies form a class of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work ''The Realm of the Nebulae''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 ...

Ursa Major Ursa Major (; also known as the Great Bear) is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear," referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa ...

. The galaxy is known to exhibit an inner ring structure that encircles the bar. NGC 3953 is a member of the

M109 Group The M109 Group (also known as the NGC 3992 Group or Ursa Major cloud) is a group of galaxies A galaxy group or group of galaxies (GrG) is an aggregation of galaxies comprising about 50 or fewer gravitationally bound members, each at least as ...

, a large

group of galaxies A galaxy group or group of galaxies (GrG) is an aggregation of galaxies comprising about 50 or fewer gravitationally bound members, each at least as luminous as the Milky Way (about 1010 times the luminosity of the Sun); collections of galaxies ...

located within the constellation Ursa Major that may contain over 50 galaxies. Two

supernova 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 ...

e have been identified within NGC 3953: the type Ia supernova SN 2001dp and SN 2006bp.

References

External links

Spiral Galaxy NGC 3953 – Supernova 2001 dp

Barred spiral galaxies M109 Group Ursa Major (constellation) 3953 06870 037306 Astronomical objects discovered in 1781 {{Spiral-galaxy-stub