NGC 5962

NGC 5962
NGC 5962, 32 inch Schulman Foundation telescope on Mt. Lemmon, AZ
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Serpens Caput
Right ascension	15h 36m 31.681s[1]
Declination	+16° 36′ 27.93″[1]
Heliocentric radial velocity	1,957 km/s[2]
Distance	119.5 Mly (36.64 Mpc)[2]
Group or cluster	NGC 5962/5970 group[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)	11.34[4]
Apparent magnitude (B)	11.98[4]
Characteristics
Type	SAB(rs,nrl)c[5]
Apparent size (V)	1.490′ × 1.073′[6] (NIR)
Other designations
NGC 5962, UGC 9926, LEDA 55588, MCG +03-40-011, PGC 55588[7][8]

NGC 5962 is a spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation of Serpens Caput. It was discovered by the Anglo-German astronomer William Herschel on March 21, 1784.^[9] The NGC 5962 galaxy is located at a distance of 120 million light years and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 1,957 km/s.^[2] It is the brightest member of the eponymously-named NGC 5962 group, which overlaps with the nearby NGC 5970 group; the two groups may be gravitationally bound.^[3]

The morphological (shape) class of NGC 5962 in the infrared is SAB(rs,nrl)c. This notation indicates the galaxy has a bar structure around the nucleus (SAB), an inner pseudo-ring likely associated with the outer Lindblad resonance (rs), a ring-lens structure at the nucleus (nrl), and loosely-wound spiral arms (c).^[5] In the optical band, this galaxy is classed as Hubble type SA(r)c,^[10] displaying an inner ring with no visible bar. The galactic plane is inclined at an angle of 45°±2° to the line of sight from the Earth, giving it an oval profile with the major axis aligned along a position angle of 109°±4°.^[11]

Along with a populated nucleus, it has a relatively large core, but a small central bulge, in which the spiral arms begin to unfurl. There is some evidence for a low level of nuclear activity, and it has been classed as a nuclear H II region galaxy.^[10] Based on its emission of far ultraviolet radiation, the pseudo-ring structure is actively undergoing star formation.^[12] The galaxy is forming stars at the rate of 6 M_☉·yr⁻¹.^[13] There are two confirmed satellite galaxies; a third candidate proved to be too distant based on its redshift value.^[14]

Two supernovae have been detected in this galaxy: SN 2016afa (type II, mag. 17.1)^[15] was discovered February 12, 2016, and SN 2017ivu (type IIP, mag. 15.4)^[16] was spotted December 11, 2017.^[17]

References

External links

• Media related to NGC 5962 at Wikimedia Commons
• GALEX page on NGC 5962