NGC 4709 is an
elliptical galaxy
An elliptical galaxy is a type of galaxy with an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless image. They are one of the four main classes of galaxy described by Edwin Hubble in his Hubble sequence and 1936 work ''The Real ...
located in the constellation
Centaurus
Centaurus is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. ...
. It is considered to be a member of the
Centaurus Cluster and is the dominant member of a small group of galaxies known as "Cen 45" which is currently merging with the main
Centaurus Cluster (Cen 30)
even though the two subclusters' line of sight
redshift velocities differ by about 1500 km/s. NGC 4709 was discovered by astronomer
James Dunlop
James Dunlop FRSE (31 October 1793 – 22 September 1848) was a Scottish astronomer, noted for his work in Australia. He was employed by Sir Thomas Brisbane to work as astronomer's assistant at his private observatory, once located at Paramat ...
on May 7, 1826.
Distance estimates
Lucey et al. suggests that NGC 4709 and the Cen 45 subgroup lie at about the same distance as the main
Centaurus Cluster which is about .
See also
*
List of NGC objects (4001–5000)
*
NGC 4696
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 4709
Centaurus
Elliptical galaxies
4709
43423
Centaurus Cluster
Astronomical objects discovered in 1826