NGC 4790
| NGC 4790 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4790 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 54m 51.956s |
| Declination | −10° 14′ 52.2″ |
| Redshift | 0.004483 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1344 ± 5 km/s |
| Distance | 80.8 ± 5.8 Mly (24.76 ± 1.77 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | NGC 4699 Group |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.4 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB(rs)c? |
| Size | ~45,500 ly (13.95 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.55′ × 1.0′ |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS 12522-0958, MCG -02-33-056, PGC 43972 | |
NGC 4790 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Virgo. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 1679 ± 24 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 80.8 ± 5.8 Mly (24.76 ± 1.77 Mpc). In addition, six non-redshift measurements give a distance of 74.75 ± 4.07 Mly (22.917 ± 1.249 Mpc). It was discovered on 25 March 1786 by German-British astronomer William Herschel.
NGC 4790 is a member of the NGC 4699 Group (also known as LGG 307) of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.
One supernova has been observed in NGC 4790. SN 2012au (type Ib, mag. 13.8) was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 14 March 2012. This supernova later produced evidence of a pulsar wind nebula which appears to be expanding outward at approximately 2300 km/s.