NGC 681
01h 49m 10.829s, −10° 25′ 35.13″
| NGC 681 | |
|---|---|
| Other designations | |
| MCG -02-05-052, PGC 6671[5] |
NGC 681 (also known as the Little Sombrero Galaxy) is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Cetus, located approximately 66.5 million light-years from Earth.[1][2][4] The name Little Sombrero Galaxy is a reference to a much larger and earlier observed sombrero-like galaxy designated M104, or the Sombrero Galaxy.
Observation history
NGC 681 was discovered by the German-born British astronomer William Herschel on 28 November 1785 and was later also observed by William's son, John Herschel.[2] John Louis Emil Dreyer, compiler of the first New General Catalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, described NGC 681 as being a "pretty faint, considerably large, round, small (faint) star 90 arcsec to [the] west" that becomes "gradually a little brighter [in the] middle".[2]
Physical characteristics
The Little Sombrero Galaxy shares many structural similarities with its namesake, M104, although it is smaller, less luminous, and less massive. Its thin, dusty
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "NGC 681 NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database Results". ned.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "New General Catalog Objects: NGC 650 - 699". cseligman.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ hdl:2060/19650010085.
- ^ a b "Revised NGC Data for NGC 681". spider.seds.org. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ "NGC 681". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- ^ ISSN 0004-637X.
External links
Media related to NGC 681 at Wikimedia Commons
