Galaxies NGC 4754, NGC 4762

Galaxies NGC 4762, NGC 4754, and the elliptical galaxy NGC 4733 in the constellation Virgo.

NGC 4762, also known as the Kite Galaxy, is a lenticular galaxy seen edge-on. It is located about 58 million light-years away on the outskirts of the Virgo Cluster. American astronomer Allan Sandage noted it in 1961 as the flattest known galaxy. The galaxy's disk is asymmetric and warped, which may indicate a past merger of NGC 4762 with a smaller galaxy. Remnants of this former companion could remain in the disk of NGC 4762, redistributing gas and stars and thereby altering the disk's morphology. NGC 4762 has an active nucleus, detectable by its characteristic emission spectrum. The mass of the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's center is 2.7×10^7 solar masses. The number of globular star clusters in the galaxy is estimated at 270. NGC 4762 forms a non-interacting pair with galaxy NGC 4754, located about 11 arcminutes from NGC 4762.

Total integration: 1 hour 11 minutes