NGC 3887

{{Short description|Galaxy in the constellation Crater}}

{{Infobox galaxy

| name = NGC 3887

| image = NGC 3887 hst 09042 R814G606B450.png

| caption = NGC 3887 imaged by Hubble Space Telescope

| epoch = J2000

| type = SB(r)bc {{cite web

| website=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database

| publisher = NASA and Caltech

| title=Results for object NGC 3887

| url=https://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/byname?objname=NGC+3887

| access-date=24 February 2025 }}

| ra = {{RA|11|47|04.5920}}

| dec = {{DEC|-16|51|16.210}}

| dist_ly = 57.7 ± 5.9 Mly (17.7 ± 1.8 Mpc)

| z = 0.004029 ± 0.000004

| h_radial_v = 1,208 ± 1 km/s

| appmag_v = 10.6{{cite web |title=Revised NGC Data for NGC 3887 |url=https://spider.seds.org/ngc/revngcic.cgi?NGC3887 |website=spider.seds.org |access-date=30 March 2024}}

| size_v = 3.3{{prime}} × 2.5{{prime}}

| size = ~{{convert|18.6|kpc|ly|abbr=on|lk=on|order=flip}} (estimated){{r|ned}}

| constellation name = Crater

| group_cluster =

| notes =

| names = {{odlist | UGCA= 246 | MCG= -03-30-012 | IRAS= 11445-1634 | PGC= 36754 }}{{r|ned}}

}}

NGC 3887 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Crater. The galaxy lies about 55 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3887 is approximately 60,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on December 31, 1785.{{cite web |last1=Seligman |first1=Courtney |title=NGC 3887 (= PGC 36754) |url=https://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc38a.htm#3887 |website=Celestial Atlas |access-date=19 November 2018}}

NGC 3887 is a barred galaxy. Two thin dust lanes run across the bar from the centre of the galaxy, which bend and extend into the arms.Sandage, A., Bedke, J. (1994), The Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Volume I, Carnegie Institution of Washington The bar is embedded in a small centrally concentrated bulge. The galaxy has two spiral arms which emerge from its end of the bar. The arms appear lumpy and can be traced for about 300° before fading. The lumps are the most pronounced part of the arms at their outer portion.{{cite journal |last1=Eskridge |first1=Paul B. |last2=Frogel |first2=Jay A. |last3=Pogge |first3=Richard W. |last4=Quillen |first4=Alice C. |last5=Berlind |first5=Andreas A. |last6=Davies |first6=Roger L. |last7=DePoy |first7=D. L. |last8=Gilbert |first8=Karoline M. |last9=Houdashelt |first9=Mark L. |last10=Kuchinski |first10=Leslie E. |last11=Ramirez |first11=Solange V. |last12=Sellgren |first12=K. |last13=Stutz |first13=Amelia |last14=Terndrup |first14=Donald M. |last15=Tiede |first15=Glenn P. |title=Near-Infrared and Optical Morphology of Spiral Galaxies |journal=The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series |date=November 2002 |volume=143 |issue=1 |pages=73–111 |doi=10.1086/342340|arxiv=astro-ph/0206320 |bibcode=2002ApJS..143...73E }} HII regions are visible across the arms. The star formation rate is estimated to be 2.1 {{solar mass}} per year.{{cite journal |last1=Parkash |first1=Vaishali |last2=Brown |first2=Michael J. I. |last3=Jarrett |first3=T. H. |last4=Bonne |first4=Nicolas J. |title=Relationships between Hi Gas Mass, Stellar Mass, and the Star Formation Rate of HICAT+WISE (H i-WISE) Galaxies |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=1 September 2018 |volume=864 |issue=1 |pages=40 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aad3b9 |doi-access=free |arxiv=1807.06246 |bibcode=2018ApJ...864...40P |url=https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/ftp/J/ApJ/864/40/ReadMe}} The galaxy has an inner ring, with a diameter of 1.13 arcminutes and an outer ring with a diameter of 3.38 arcminutes.{{cite journal |last1=Comerón |first1=S. |last2=Salo |first2=H. |last3=Laurikainen |first3=E. |last4=Knapen |first4=J. H. |last5=Buta |first5=R. J. |last6=Herrera-Endoqui |first6=M. |last7=Laine |first7=J. |last8=Holwerda |first8=B. W. |last9=Sheth |first9=K. |last10=Regan |first10=M. W. |last11=Hinz |first11=J. L. |last12=Muñoz-Mateos |first12=J. C. |last13=Gil de Paz |first13=A. |last14=Menéndez-Delmestre |first14=K. |last15=Seibert |first15=M. |last16=Mizusawa |first16=T. |last17=Kim |first17=T. |last18=Erroz-Ferrer |first18=S. |last19=Gadotti |first19=D. A. |last20=Athanassoula |first20=E. |last21=Bosma |first21=A. |last22=Ho |first22=L. C. |title=ARRAKIS: atlas of resonance rings as known in the S 4 G |journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics |date=February 2014 |volume=562 |pages=A121 |doi=10.1051/0004-6361/201321633 |arxiv=1312.0866 |bibcode=2014A&A...562A.121C |url=https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2014/02/aa21633-13.pdf}} In the centre of the galaxy lies a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of {{val|2.82|1.33|e=6|ul=M_solar}}. The galaxy is seen at an inclination of 49°.{{cite journal |last1=Treuthardt |first1=Patrick |last2=Seigar |first2=Marc S. |last3=Sierra |first3=Amber D. |last4=Al-Baidhany |first4=Ismaeel |last5=Salo |first5=Heikki |last6=Kennefick |first6=Daniel |last7=Kennefick |first7=Julia |last8=Lacy |first8=Claud H. S. |title=On the link between central black holes, bar dynamics and dark matter haloes in spiral galaxies: SMBHs, bar dynamics, and DM haloes |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=11 July 2012 |volume=423 |issue=4 |pages=3118–3133 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21118.x|doi-access=free |arxiv=1204.4210 |bibcode=2012MNRAS.423.3118T }}

NGC 3887 is the foremost galaxy of the NGC 3887 Group, which also includes the galaxies HIPASS J1143-15, [KKS2000] 25, and HIPASS J1150-17.{{cite journal|last1=Makarov|first1=Dmitry|last2=Karachentsev|first2=Igor|title=Galaxy groups and clouds in the local (z~ 0.01) Universe|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|date=21 April 2011|volume=412|issue=4|pages=2498–2520|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18071.x|doi-access=free |url=http://www.sao.ru/hq/dim/groups/galaxies.dat|bibcode=2011MNRAS.412.2498M|arxiv=1011.6277|s2cid=119194025|access-date=1 February 2025}}