NGC 540

{{Short description|Lenticular galaxy in the constellation Cetus}}

{{Infobox galaxy

| name = NGC 540

| image = File:NGC 0540 SDSS.jpg

| image_size =

| upright =

| caption = NGC 540 imaged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

| alt =

| epoch = J2000

| pronounce =

| constellation name = Cetus

| ra = {{RA|01|27|08.90558}}

| dec = {{DEC|−20|02|11.7187}}

| z = {{Val|0.033700|0.000213}}

| h_radial_v = {{Val|10103|89|u=km/s|fmt=commas}}

| gal_v =

| dist_pc =

| dist_ly =

| group_cluster =

| type = SB(s)0:

| mass =

| mass_light_ratio =

| size =

| stars =

| appmag_v =

| appmag_b =

| absmag_v =

| size_v = {{nowrap|2.5 × 2.0 arcmin}}

| half_light_radius_pc =

| half_light_radius_arcminsec =

| h1_scale_length_pc =

| h1_scale_length_arcminsec =

| xray_radius_pc =

| xray_radius_arcminsec =

| notes =

| names = LEDA 5410, PGC 5410, SGC 012444-2017.7

| references =

}}

NGC 540 is a barred lenticular galaxy in the constellation Cetus. It is estimated to be 451 million light years from the Milky Way and has a diameter of approximately 120,000 light years.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} The object was discovered on October 15, 1885, by the American astronomer Francis Preserved Leavenworth.{{Cite web|url=https://in-the-sky.org/data/object.php?id=610|title=The galaxy NGC 540 - In-The-Sky.org|last=Ford|first=Dominic|website=in-the-sky.org|language=en|access-date=2019-12-14}}{{Cite web|url=http://spider.seds.org/ngc/revngcic.cgi?NGC540|title=Revised NGC Data for NGC 540|website=spider.seds.org|access-date=2019-12-14}}{{Cite web|url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=NGC+540&extend=no&hconst=73&omegam=0.27&omegav=0.73&corr_z=1&out_csys=Equatorial&out_equinox=J2000.0&obj_sort=RA+or+Longitude&of=pre_text&zv_breaker=30000.0&list_limit=5&img_stamp=YES|title=Your NED Search Results|website=ned.ipac.caltech.edu|access-date=2019-12-14}}