| NGC 2936 | |
|---|---|
 PGC 1237172 (top), NGC 2936 (bottom middle), andNGC 2937 (bottom) by Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension | 09h 37m 44.148s[1] |
| Declination | +02° 45′ 38.95″[1] |
| Redshift | 0.02331±0.00013[1] |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 6989±38 km/s[1] |
| Galactocentric velocity | 6844±39 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 352 Mly (108 Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.85[1] |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | −22.4[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Irr[1] |
| Size | 50.54 kpc[1] |
| Other designations | |
| NGC 2936,UGC 5130,MCG +01-25-006,PGC 27422[2] | |
NGC 2936, also known as thePenguin Galaxy or thePorpoise Galaxy, is aninteractingspiral galaxy located at a distance of 326 millionlight years,[3] in the constellationHydra. NGC 2936 is interacting withelliptical galaxyNGC 2937, located just beneath it. They were both discovered byAlbert Marth on Mar 3, 1864.[4] To some astronomers, the galaxy looks like a penguin or aporpoise.[5] NGC 2936, NGC 2937, andPGC 1237172 are included in theAtlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 142 in the category "Galaxy triplet".
On 20 June 2013, theHubble Space Telescope examined and photographed NGC 2936.[5]
NGC 2936 once had a flat, spiraldisk. The orbits of the galaxy's stars have been perturbed due to gravitational tidal interactions with NGC 2937.Gas from the center of NGC 2936 became compressed during the encounter with NGC 2937, which is shown as blue knots close to NGC 2937. The red dust that was inside the center of the galaxy has been mostly thrown out due to the collision. During the collision, gas coming from NGC 2936 triggeredstar formation.[6]
PGC 1237172, an unrelated bluishirregular galaxy or edge-on spiral galaxy, is located just off to the side of NGC 2936. It is located 230 million light years away, making it closer to theEarth than the NGC 2936 collision, and it happens to be located next to two unrelated stars from theMilky Way.[7]
The brightest star in this galaxy is USNOA2 0900-06460021.
Media related toNGC 2936 at Wikimedia Commons