Thisfield galaxy[12] is located about 30[3] millionlight-years away from theMilky Way, and is a member of theVirgo Supercluster.[4] Themorphological classification of this galaxy is SBbc,[6] indicating a barred spiral (SB) with moderate to tightly-wound spiral arms (bc).De Vaucouleurs and associates assigned it the class SAB(rs)bc, suggesting a weaker bar structure (SAB) with a partial ring (rs). The bar structure appears stronger in thenear infrared band. The galaxy as a whole is inclined by an angle of 60° to the line of sight from the Earth.[7]
72% of the stellar mass is located in the outer disk of the galaxy, and 20% is found in the bar. The bulge adds 5% of the stellar mass, and its star population is generally older.[13] However, the central~650 pc radius volume of the core is a strongstarburst region. Thestar formation rate here is0.7 M☉ y−1 and it is being fed by gas inflow along the bar. There is no evidence of anactive nucleus.[7]
The irregulardwarf galaxy KKH 51 appears to be a companion, as they have an angular separation of25′ and nearly the sameradial velocity.[14]
^abSkrutskie, Michael F.; Cutri, Roc M.; Stiening, Rae; Weinberg, Martin D.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Carpenter, John M.; Beichman, Charles A.; Capps, Richard W.; Chester, Thomas; Elias, Jonathan H.; Huchra, John P.; Liebert, James W.; Lonsdale, Carol J.; Monet, David G.; Price, Stephan; Seitzer, Patrick; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Fullmer, Linda; Hurt, Robert L.; Light, Robert M.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Tam, Robert; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Wheelock, Sherry L. (1 February 2006)."The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)".The Astronomical Journal.131 (2):1163–1183.Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S.doi:10.1086/498708.ISSN0004-6256.S2CID18913331.
^Sinnott, Roger W.; Perryman, Michael A. C. (1997).Millennium Star Atlas. Vol. 2. Sky Publishing Corporation and the European Space Agency. p. 686.ISBN0-933346-83-2.
^Moore, S. L.; et al. (April 2010). "NGC 2903 - the galaxy Messier missed".Journal of the British Astronomical Association.120 (2):106–107.Bibcode:2010JBAA..120..106M.
^Materne, J. (April 1979). "The structure of nearby groups of galaxies - Quantitative membership probabilities".Astronomy and Astrophysics.74 (2):235–243.Bibcode:1979A&A....74..235M.
