| NGC 3370 | |
|---|---|
_(potw2542b).jpg) NGC 3370 imaged by theHubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 10h 47m 04.0832s[1] |
| Declination | +17° 16′ 25.603″[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1279 ± 4 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 78 Mly (23.91 Mpc)h−1 0.6774 (Light-travel) |
| Group orcluster | NGC 3370 Group |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.3[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA(s)c[1] III[citation needed] |
| Size | 49,930 to 77,270 ly (15.31 to 23.69 kpc) (diameter;2MASS K-band total andD25.0 B-band isophotes)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 3.2′ × 1.8′[1] |
| Notable features | Dusty |
| Other designations | |
| Silverado Galaxy[citation needed],IRAS 10444+1732,UGC 5887,MCG +03-28-008,PGC 32207,CGCG 095-019 | |
NGC 3370 (also known asUGC 5887 orSilverado Galaxy[2]) is aspiral galaxy about 82.2 ± 5.9 millionlight-years (25.2 ± 1.8megaparsecs) away in theconstellationLeo. It is nearly comparable to ourMilky Way both in diameter with aD25 isophotal size about 77,300 ly (23.69 kpc) comparing to the Milky Way Galaxy's 87,400 ly (26.8 kpc) diameter, and as well as in mass (1011 M☉).[citation needed] NGC 3370 exhibits an intricate spiral arm structure surrounding a poorly defined nucleus. It is a member of theNGC 3370 Group of galaxies, which is a member of theLeo II Groups, a series of galaxies andgalaxy clusters strung out from the right edge of theVirgo Supercluster.[3]
NGC 3370 was discovered byWilliam Herschel on 21 March 1784, who provided it with the designationII 81.[4][5] His sonJohn later designated it 750. William Herschel catalogedI 80 toNGC 3348[5] before andII 82 toNGC 3455 after NGC 3370.[5]
The object has a surface brightness of 13 and a position angle (PA) of 140°.
On November 14, 1994, Schuyler D. Van Dyk and theLeuschner Observatory Supernova Search discovered asupernova in NGC 3370 at 10h 44m 21.52s +17° 32′ 20.7″, designatedSN 1994ae.[6] It was aType Ia supernova, and one of the nearest and best observed since the advent of modern digital detectors.[7] The maximal light of the supernova was estimated to have occurred between November 30 and December 1, peaking atvisual magnitude 13.[8]
