The visual dimensions of this galaxy are 2.703 × 1.027[1]arc minutes, with the major axis having a position angle of 85°.[4] The galaxy is being viewed nearly edge-on, with an inclination of 18° to the line of sight from the Earth.[7] It is moving away from us with a heliocentricradial velocity of 1,445[2] km/s. The estimated visual luminosity of the galaxy is 4.2×1010L⊙, or 42 billion times the brightness of the Sun. Photographs show a tightly wound spiral pattern in the galactic disk, with three dust lanes—the southern side of the galaxy appears dimmer due to the dust configuration.[7] The mass of the free gas and dust in the galaxy is about 1.7×109M⊙ and 4.4×105 M⊙, respectively, with around 7×104 M⊙ of the gas being in an ionized state.[4]
This is a type of active galaxy known as a LINER, which means that it shows emission lines of ionized gas in the region of its nucleus. Chemically, the stars at the center of the nucleus have a higher metallicity than in the neighboring regions. It appears that there is a tilted disk of stars orbiting the nucleus within a radius of 820 ly (250 pc). The galactic bulge itself appears triaxial with the ionized gas concentrated near the center of this bulge region.[8] Images of the galaxy with the Hubble Space Telescope show a wispy disk of dust on all sides of the nucleus, with what appears to be the tendrilous remains of an ionization cone leading away 4 arc seconds to the northeast. Such features are common in Seyfert galaxies.[7]
NGC 4036 is a member of the LGG 266 galaxy group, along with NGC 4041, IC 758, UGC 7009, and UGC 7019. It is located just 17 arc minutes from NGC 4041, and the two form a pair with a projected separation of around 470 kly (143 kpc).[4]
Supernova
One supernova has been observed in NGC 4036. SN 2007gi (type Ia, mag. 16.3) was discovered by Kōichi Itagaki on 23 July 2007, located near the central bulge of the galaxy.[9][10] It reached peak magnitude around August 14, then steadily declined in brightness thereafter. Materials identified in the spectrum included silicon, calcium, and sulfur moving outward at velocities of around 15,500 km/s. This is a 50% higher velocity than what is normally observed with supernovae of this type.[11]
^ abcdSkrutskie, Michael F.; Cutri, Roc M.; Stiening, Rae; Weinberg, Martin D.; Schneider, Stephen E.; Carpenter, John M.; Beichman, Charles A.; Capps, Richard W.; Chester, Thomas; Elias, Jonathan H.; Huchra, John P.; Liebert, James W.; Lonsdale, Carol J.; Monet, David G.; Price, Stephan; Seitzer, Patrick; Jarrett, Thomas H.; Kirkpatrick, J. Davy; Gizis, John E.; Howard, Elizabeth V.; Evans, Tracey E.; Fowler, John W.; Fullmer, Linda; Hurt, Robert L.; Light, Robert M.; Kopan, Eugene L.; Marsh, Kenneth A.; McCallon, Howard L.; Tam, Robert; Van Dyk, Schuyler D.; Wheelock, Sherry L. (1 February 2006). "The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (2): 1163–1183. Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S. doi:10.1086/498708. ISSN0004-6256. S2CID18913331.
^Sil'chenko, O. K.; Vlasyuk, V. V. (January 2001), "A Chemically Decoupled Nucleus and Structure of the Nuclear Region in the S0 Galaxy NGC4036", Astronomy Letters, 27: 15–24, Bibcode:2001AstL...27...15S, doi:10.1134/1.1336857, S2CID54607256.
^Harutyunyan, A.; et al. (August 2007), Green, D. W. E. (ed.), "Supernova 2007gi in NGC 4036", Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams, 1021: 1, Bibcode:2007CBET.1021....1H.
^"SN2007gi". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 8 December 2024.