NGC 4526 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids NGC 4526
Observation data
Constellation	Virgo
Right ascension	12h 34m 03.029s
Declination	+07° 41′ 56.90″
Redshift	0.001494±0.000027
Helio radial velocity	448±8 km/s
Distance	55±5 Mly (16.9±1.6 Mpc)
See also: Galaxy, List of galaxies

NGC 4526 is a special type of galaxy called a lenticular galaxy. You can find it in the Virgo constellation, which is a group of stars that form a pattern in the sky.

When you look at NGC 4526 through a powerful telescope, it looks a bit like a lentil or a flat disc. It has a bright center and a wide, flat outer part, but it doesn't have clear spiral arms like some other galaxies. It's actually one of the brightest lenticular galaxies we know about!

Scientists believe there's a huge supermassive black hole right at the center of NGC 4526. This black hole is incredibly massive, weighing about 450 million times more than our own Sun.

Supernovas in NGC 4526

Since astronomers first discovered NGC 4526, they have seen two huge star explosions, called supernovas, happen near it.

The most recent one was named SN 1994D. This supernova happened when a very dense star, called a white dwarf, exploded. This particular white dwarf was made mostly of carbon and oxygen.

NGC 4526 is also spinning very fast! It rotates at an amazing speed of about 250 kilometers per second. That's roughly 900,000 kilometers per hour!

Images for kids

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  This wider image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the galaxy and its outer parts.

See also

In Spanish: NGC 4526 para niños