NGC 3120

NGC 3120
NGC 3120 imaged by DSS
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationAntlia
Right ascension10h 05m 23.0413s[1]
Declination−34° 13′ 11.847″[1]
Redshift0.009300±0.00000500[1]
Heliocentric radial velocity2,788±1 km/s[1]
Distance97.19 ± 5.92 Mly (29.800 ± 1.816 Mpc)[2]
Group or clusterNGC 3038 Group (LGG 184)
Apparent magnitude (V)13.52[1]
Characteristics
TypeSAB(s)bc[1]
Size~79,200 ly (24.27 kpc) (estimated)[1]
Apparent size (V)1.8′ × 1.2′[1]
Other designations
ESO 374- G 029, IRAS 10031-3358, 2MASX J10052305-3413118, MCG -06-22-017, PGC 29278[1]

NGC 3120 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Antlia. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 3,105±22 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 149.4 ± 10.5 Mly (45.80 ± 3.22 Mpc).[1] However, 17 non-redshift measurements give a much closer mean distance of 97.19 ± 5.92 Mly (29.800 ± 1.816 Mpc).[2] It was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on 22 January 1838.[3]

NGC 3120 has a possible active galactic nucleus, i.e. it has a compact region at the center of a galaxy that emits a significant amount of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, with characteristics indicating that this luminosity is not produced by the stars.[4][5]

NGC 3038 Group

NGC 3120 is a member of the NGC 3038 group (also known as LGG 184). This group has 6 galaxies, including NGC 3038, NGC 3087, IC 2532, ESO 373-21, and ESO 373-26.[6][7]

Supernovae

Two supernovae have been observed in NGC 3120:

  • SN 1999ca (Type II, mag. 17) was discovered by S. Woodings, R. Martin, and A. Williams on 27 April 1999.[8][9]
  • SN 2010F (Type II, mag. 14.8) was discovered by The CHilean Automatic Supernova sEarch (CHASE) on 13 January 2010.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Results for object NGC 3120". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA and Caltech. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Distance Results for NGC 3120". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  3. ^ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 3120". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  4. ^ Asmus, D.; Greenwell, C. L.; Gandhi, P.; Boorman, P. G.; Aird, J.; Alexander, D. M.; Assef, R. J.; Baldi, R. D.; Davies, R. I.; Hönig, S. F.; Ricci, C.; Rosario, D. J.; Salvato, M.; Shankar, F.; Stern, D. (2020). "Local AGN survey (LASr): I. Galaxy sample, infrared colour selection, and predictions for AGN within 100 MPC". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 494 (2): 1784. arXiv:2003.05959. Bibcode:2020MNRAS.494.1784A. doi:10.1093/mnras/staa766.
  5. ^ "NGC 3120". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  6. ^ Garcia, A. M. (1993). "General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 100: 47. Bibcode:1993A&AS..100...47G.
  7. ^ "LGG 184". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  8. ^ Woodings, S.; Martin, R.; Williams, A.; Verveer, A.; Biggs, J. (1999). "Supernova 1999ca in NGC 3120". International Astronomical Union Circular (7158): 1. Bibcode:1999IAUC.7158....1W.
  9. ^ "SN 1999ca". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  10. ^ Maza, J.; Hamuy, M.; Antezana, R.; Gonzalez, L.; Lopez, P.; Silva, S.; Folatelli, G.; Cartier, R.; Forster, F.; Marchi, S.; Rojas, A.; Pignata, G.; Conuel, B.; Reichart, D.; Ivarsen, K.; Haislip, J.; Crain, A.; Foster, D.; Nysewander, M.; Lacluyze, A. (2010). "Supernova 2010F in NGC 3120". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams (2125): 1. Bibcode:2010CBET.2125....1M.
  11. ^ "SN 2010F". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  • Media related to NGC 3120 at Wikimedia Commons
  • NGC 3120 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images

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