NGC 3862
| NGC 3862 | |
|---|---|
SDSS image of NGC 3862. The small galaxy at the top of the image is IC 2955. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 11h 45m 05.0s |
| Declination | 19° 36′ 23″ |
| Redshift | 0.021718 ± 0.000019 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 6511 ± 6 km/s |
| Distance | 304 Mly (93.3 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Leo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 13.67 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | E |
| Size | ~152,000 ly (46.6 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 1.5 x 1.5 |
| Notable features | contains a supermassive black hole powering a jet of plasma that is moving at 98 percent of the speed of light |
| Other designations | |
| UGC 06723, PGC 036606, MCG +03-30-095, CGCG 097-127, 3C 264, 4C +19.40, PKS 1142+19 | |
NGC 3862 is an elliptical galaxy located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785, NGC 3862 is an outlying member of the Leo Cluster.
The galaxy is classified as a FR I radio galaxy and as a Head-tail radio galaxy. It hosts a supermassive black hole that is blasting a jet of plasma that is moving at 98 percent of the speed of light and is one of the few jets that can be seen in visible light.
One supernova has been observed in NGC 3862: SN 2023bqk (type Ia-pec, mag. 18.3).