| NGC 936 | |
|---|---|
 NGC 936 by theVery Large Telescope ofESO. | |
| Observation data (J2000epoch) | |
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension | 02h 27m 37.4s[1] |
| Declination | −01° 09′ 22″[1] |
| Redshift | 1430 ± 4km/s[1] |
| Distance | 67.7 ± 19.7Mly (20.75 ± 6.05Mpc)[1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.2 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(rs)0+[1] |
| Apparent size (V) | 4′.7 × 4′.1[1] |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 1929,PGC 9359[1] | |
NGC 936 is abarred lenticular galaxy in the constellationCetus. It is at a distance of about 60 million light-years away from Earth. Its nucleus and prominent bar have high surface brightness. Because of the shape of the prominent bar, the nucleus and the ring of stars at the end of the barrel, the galaxy has been compared with the shape of aTIE fighter, from theStar Wars universe, and thus NGC 936 has been namedDarth Vader’s Galaxy[2] orDarth Vader’s Starfighter.[3] By measuring the radial velocity of the disc, Kormendy found in 1986 that the disc is stable, which is the reason why it is so smooth.[4]
It was discovered byWilliam Herschel on 6 January 1785, who classified it as aplanetary nebula, because of its round shape.[3] Onesupernova (SN 2003gs) has been observed in NGC 936 and was typed as a peculiarType Ia supernova, characterized by its fast evolution.[5][6] SN 2003gs peaked at magnitude 14.[7]
NGC 936 forms a pair with the spiral galaxyNGC 941, at 12.6' separation, however, the two galaxies do not interact.[8] This galaxy group (the NGC 936 group) also includes the galaxiesNGC 955, UGC 01945 and IC 225. The group is associated withMessier 77 group.[9]
Media related toNGC 936 at Wikimedia Commons
