| NGC 5468 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 5468 imaged by theHubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 14h 06m 34.9186s[1] |
| Declination | −05° 27′ 11.057″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.009480 ± 0.000013[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 2,842 ± 4km/s[1] |
| Distance | 138 ± 22.7Mly (42.5 ± 7.0Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.5[2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(rs)cd[1] |
| Size | ~108,700 ly (33.32 kpc) (estimated)[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.6′ × 2.4′[1] |
| Other designations | |
| HOLM 585A,IRAS 14039-0512,UGCA 384,MCG -01-36-007,PGC 50323[1] | |
NGC 5468 is anintermediate spiral galaxy located in the constellationVirgo. It is located at a distance of about 140 millionlight-years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 5468 is about 110,000 light-years across. It was discovered byWilliam Herschel on 5 March 1785.[3]
NGC 5468 is seen face-on, and the spiral pattern is open. The two principal arms emanate from a smallbar and start to branch into several thin fragments after some distance. Three largeH II regions and some fainter ones can be seen in the images of the Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies.[4] These regions feature intense star formation. SN 2005P was located at the edge of one of these regions.[5] As of 2024, NGC 5468 is the most distant galaxy in which Hubble Space Telescope has detectedCepheid variable stars, which are important milepost markers for measuring distances.[6]
NGC 5468 forms a non-interacting pair withNGC 5472, which lies at a projected distance of 5.1arcminutes. NGC 5468 belongs to the NGC 5493galaxy group. Other members of the group are the interacting pairArp 271 (NGC 5426 and NGC 5427),NGC 5476, andNGC 5493.[7]
Sixsupernovae have been observed in NGC 5468:
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Media related toNGC 5468 at Wikimedia Commons
