NGC 3314

NGC 3314
NGC 3314a (foreground) and NGC 3314b (background) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Hydra
Right ascension	10h 37m 12.5s
Declination	−27° 41′ 05″
Redshift	+0.0095 (a) +0.01548 (b)
Distance	117 Mly (a) 140 million ly (b)
Apparent magnitude (V)	+12.5
Characteristics
Type	SBbc/SAab
Apparent size (V)	2′.6 × 1′.7
Notable features	galaxy overlapping another
Other designations
(NGC 3314): ESO 501-46, AM 1034-272, MCG-04-25-041 (NGC 3314A): LEDA 31531 (NGC 3314B): LEDA 31532

NGC 3314 is a pair of overlapping spiral galaxies between 117 and 140 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. This unique alignment gives astronomers the opportunity to measure the properties of interstellar dust in the face-on foreground galaxy (NGC 3314a). The dust appears dark against the background galaxy (NGC 3314b). Unlike interacting galaxies, the two components of NGC 3314 are physically unrelated. It^{[clarification needed]} was discovered in April 1999.

In a March 2000 observation of the galaxies, a prominent green star-like object was seen in one of the arms. Astronomers theorized that it could have been a supernova, but the unique filtering properties of the foreground galaxy made it difficult to decide definitively.^[1]

Both galaxies are members of the Hydra Cluster.^[2]

References

External links

• Media related to NGC 3314 at Wikimedia Commons
• "Hubble Spies Galaxy Silhouettes". ScienceDaily. 25 September 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
• Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (7 May 2005). "NGC 3314: When Galaxies Overlap". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
• NGC 3314 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images
• "NGC 3314". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.