NGC 4487

NGC 4487 has an elliptical bulge with a small bar. The nucleus is offset from the centre. The galaxy has faint diffuse spiral arms.{{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|bibcode=2002ApJS..143...73E |arxiv=astro-ph/0206320 }} Two spiral arms can be discerned with a grand design pattern. Dust lanes are visible along the inner regions of the arms. One arm branches into several broad segments. Many HII regions are visible in the disk, the largest of which are more than 3 arcseconds across.Sandage, A., Bedke, J. (1994), The Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Volume I, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Based on its X-ray emission the nucleus of the galaxy appears to be active.{{cite journal |last1=Foord |first1=Adi |last2=Gallo |first2=Elena |last3=Hodges-Kluck |first3=Edmund |last4=Miller |first4=Brendan P. |last5=Baldassare |first5=Vivienne F. |last6=Gültekin |first6=Kayhan |last7=Gnedin |first7=Oleg Y. |title=AGN Activity in Nucleated Galaxies as Measured by Chandra |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=20 May 2017 |volume=841 |issue=1 |pages=51 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/aa6d63|doi-access=free |arxiv=1704.03882 |bibcode=2017ApJ...841...51F }} In the centre of the galaxy lies a supermassive black hole, whose mass is estimated to be 10^{6.46 ± 0.63} (0.6 - 12 million) {{solar mass|link=yes}}, based on the pitch angle of the spiral arms.{{cite journal |last1=Davis |first1=Benjamin L. |last2=Berrier |first2=Joel C. |last3=Johns |first3=Lucas |last4=Shields |first4=Douglas W. |last5=Hartley |first5=Matthew T. |last6=Kennefick |first6=Daniel |last7=Kennefick |first7=Julia |last8=Seigar |first8=Marc S. |last9=Lacy |first9=Claud H. S. |title=The Black Hole Mass Function Derived from Local Spiral Galaxies |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=20 June 2014 |volume=789 |issue=2 |pages=124 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/789/2/124|bibcode=2014ApJ...789..124D |arxiv=1405.5876 |s2cid=119302157 }} The stars of the galaxy appear to be of intermediate-young age and have very low metallicity.{{cite journal |last1=Ganda |first1=Katia |last2=Peletier |first2=Reynier F. |last3=McDermid |first3=Richard M. |last4=Falcón-Barroso |first4=Jesús |last5=De Zeeuw |first5=P. T. |last6=Bacon |first6=Roland |last7=Cappellari |first7=Michele |last8=Davies |first8=Roger L. |last9=Emsellem |first9=Eric |last10=Krajnović |first10=Davor |last11=Kuntschner |first11=Harald |last12=Sarzi |first12=Marc |last13=Van De Ven |first13=Glenn |title=Absorption-line strengths of 18 late-type spiral galaxies observed with SAURON |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=September 2007 |volume=380 |issue=2 |pages=506–540 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.12121.x|doi-access=free |arxiv=0706.3624 |bibcode=2007MNRAS.380..506G }} The star formation rate is estimated to be 0.4 {{solar mass}} per year.{{cite journal |last1=Baldassare |first1=Vivienne F. |last2=Stone |first2=Nicholas C. |last3=Foord |first3=Adi |last4=Gallo |first4=Elena |last5=Ostriker |first5=Jeremiah P. |title=Massive Black Hole Formation in Dense Stellar Environments: Enhanced X-Ray Detection Rates in High-velocity Dispersion Nuclear Star Clusters |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=1 April 2022 |volume=929 |issue=1 |pages=84 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/ac5f51|doi-access=free |arxiv=2203.02517 |bibcode=2022ApJ...929...84B }}

One supernova has been observed in NGC 4487, SN 2009N. It was discovered on 24 January 2009 by Koichi Itagaki at an apparent magnitude of 16.6, located 75" east and 18" north of the center of NGC 4487.{{cite journal |last1=Nakano |first1=S. |last2=Kadota |first2=K. |last3=Buzzi |first3=L. |title=Supernova 2009N in NGC 4487 |journal=Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams |date=25 January 2009 |issue=1670 |pages=1 |url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/001600/CBET001670.txt}} It was identified as a type II supernova.{{cite journal |last1=Challis |first1=P. |last2=Berlind |first2=P. |title=Supernova 2009N in NGC 4487 |journal=Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams |date=26 January 2009 |issue=1671 |pages=1 |url=http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/001600/CBET001671.txt}} More detailed spectral observations categorised it as a type II-P, created by the collapse of red supergiant or a yellow supergiant.{{cite journal |last1=Takáts |first1=K. |last2=Pumo |first2=M. L. |last3=Elias-Rosa |first3=N. |last4=Pastorello |first4=A. |last5=Pignata |first5=G. |last6=Paillas |first6=E. |last7=Zampieri |first7=L. |last8=Anderson |first8=J. P. |last9=Vinkó |first9=J. |last10=Benetti |first10=S. |last11=Botticella |first11=M.-T. |last12=Bufano |first12=F. |last13=Campillay |first13=A. |last14=Cartier |first14=R. |last15=Ergon |first15=M. |last16=Folatelli |first16=G. |last17=Foley |first17=R. J. |last18=Förster |first18=F. |last19=Hamuy |first19=M. |last20=Hentunen |first20=V.-P. |last21=Kankare |first21=E. |last22=Leloudas |first22=G. |last23=Morrell |first23=N. |last24=Nissinen |first24=M. |last25=Phillips |first25=M. M. |last26=Smartt |first26=S. J. |last27=Stritzinger |first27=M. |last28=Taubenberger |first28=S. |last29=Valenti |first29=S. |last30=Van Dyk |first30=S. D. |last31=Haislip |first31=J. B. |last32=LaCluyze |first32=A. P. |last33=Moore |first33=J. P. |last34=Reichart |first34=D. |display-authors = 1 |title=SN 2009N: linking normal and subluminous Type II-P SNe |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |date=11 February 2014 |volume=438 |issue=1 |pages=368–387 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stt2203|doi-access=free |arxiv=1311.2525 }}

NGC 4487 forms a pair with NGC 4504, which lies 35 arcminutes away. NGC 4487 is a member of the Messier 104 Group, which also includes the Sombrero Galaxy (M104), NGC 4504, UGCA 287, and UGCA 289.{{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}} A. M. Garcia considers the galaxy part of the LGG 293 Group, in which are included the galaxies NGC 4487, NGC 4504, and NGC 4597.{{cite journal |last1=Garcia |first1=A. M. |title=General study of group membership. II. Determination of nearby groups. |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series |date=1 July 1993 |volume=100 |pages=47–90 |url=https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/ftp/J/A+AS/100/47/table2.dat |bibcode= 1993A&AS..100...47G |issn=0365-0138|bibcode-access=free}} It is part of a Virgo II Groups, a chain of groups extending from the Virgo Cluster.{{cite web |title=The Virgo II Groups |url=http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/galgrps/virii.html |website=www.atlasoftheuniverse.com |access-date=25 February 2025}}

NGC 4487 legacy dr10.jpg|NGC 4487 by Legacy Surveys

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• [http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?Ident=NGC%204487 NGC 4487 on SIMBAD]

{{Virgo}}

{{NGC objects: 4001-5000}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:NGC 4487}}

Category:Intermediate spiral galaxies

Category:Virgo (constellation)

4487

-01-32-021

41399

Category:Astronomical objects discovered in 1789

Category:Discoveries by William Herschel