NGC 4981
| NGC 4981 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4981 imaged by ESO's Very Large Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 13h 08m 48.7580s |
| Declination | −06° 46′ 38.938″ |
| Redshift | 0.005597±0.000005 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1,678±1 km/s |
| Distance | 72.99 ± 2.10 Mly (22.380 ± 0.645 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | NGC 4995 group (LGG 333) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.10 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(r)bc |
| Size | ~66,500 ly (20.38 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 2.8′ × 2.0′ |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS 13062-0630, 2MASX J13084873-0646392, MCG -01-34-003, PGC 45574 | |
NGC 4981 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation of Virgo. Its velocity with respect to the cosmic microwave background is 2,002±23 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 96.3 ± 6.8 Mly (29.54 ± 2.09 Mpc). However, 20 non-redshift measurements give a closer distance of 72.99 ± 2.10 Mly (22.380 ± 0.645 Mpc). It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 17 April 1784.
NGC 4981 is a LINER galaxy, i.e. a galaxy whose nucleus has an emission spectrum characterized by broad lines of weakly ionized atoms.