NGC 7010

{{Infobox Galaxy

| name = NGC 7010

| image =SDSS NGC 7010.jpg

| image_size =250px| caption = SDSS image of NGC 7010.

| epoch = J2000

| type = E+ pec {{cite web

| title=NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database

| work=Results for NGC 7010

| url=http://nedwww.ipac.caltech.edu/

| access-date=2017-05-06 }}

| ra = {{RA|21|04|39.5}}

| dec = {{DEC|-12|20|18}}

| dist_ly = {{convert|112|Mpc|Mly|abbr=on|lk=on|order=flip}}

| z = 0.028306

| h_radial_v=8,486 km/s

| appmag_v = 14.5

| size_v = 1.9 x 1.0

| constellation name= Aquarius

| names = {{odlist|IC=5082|MCG=-2-53-24|PGC=66039|name=NPM1G -12.0537}}

|size=~{{convert|68.86|kpc|ly|abbr=on|lk=on|order=flip}} (estimated)}}

NGC 7010 is a massive elliptical galaxy located about 370 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius.{{Cite web|url=https://dso-browser.com/deep-sky/8197/ngc-7010/galaxy|title=Galaxy NGC 7010 Deep Sky Objects Browser|last=Rojas|first=Sebastián García|website=DSO Browser|language=en|access-date=2017-05-06|archive-date=2017-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807070604/https://dso-browser.com/deep-sky/8197/ngc-7010/galaxy|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/cgi-bin/objsearch?objname=NGC+7010&extend=yes&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=2017-05-06}} NGC 7010 was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on August 6, 1823, and was later listed by French astronomer Guillaume Bigourdan as IC 5082.{{Cite web|url=http://cseligman.com/text/atlas/ngc70.htm|title=New General Catalog Objects: NGC 7000 - 7049|website=cseligman.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-05-08}} It is host to a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 4.7 × 10⁸ M_☉.{{Cite journal |last1=Arzoumanian |first1=Zaven |last2=Baker |first2=Paul T. |last3=Brazier |first3=Adam |last4=Brook |first4=Paul R. |last5=Burke-Spolaor |first5=Sarah |last6=Becsy |first6=Bence |last7=Charisi |first7=Maria |last8=Chatterjee |first8=Shami |last9=Cordes |first9=James M. |last10=Cornish |first10=Neil J. |last11=Crawford |first11=Fronefield |last12=Cromartie |first12=H. Thankful |last13=Decesar |first13=Megan E. |last14=Demorest |first14=Paul B. |last15=Dolch |first15=Timothy |date=2021-06-01 |title=The NANOGrav 11 yr Data Set: Limits on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Galaxies within 500 Mpc |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=914 |issue=2 |pages=121 |arxiv=2101.02716 |bibcode=2021ApJ...914..121A |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/abfcd3 |issn=0004-637X |doi-access=free}}

Physical characteristics

NGC 7010 has broad, plateau shaped shells of stars surrounding it which are quite low in surface brightness. These shells are unusually red or redder than the rest of NGC 7010. It is thought that mergers with other galaxies along with phase wrapping causes the lower mass stars in NGC 7010 to be separated from higher mass blue stars in the shells leaving only the higher mass stars in the shells. As these stars evolve and move into the Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stage, these shells would become very red in color, especially if further star formation is suppressed in the galaxy.{{cite journal|last1=McGaugh|first1=Stacy S.|last2=Bothun|first2=Gregory D.|title=Stellar populations in shell galaxies|journal=The Astronomical Journal|date=October 1990|volume=100|pages=1073|doi=10.1086/115580|bibcode=1990AJ....100.1073M|hdl=1903/8712|url=http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/1903/8712/1/AJv100p1073.pdf|hdl-access=free}} It's theorized that the shells formed from the accretion of another galaxy.{{cite journal|last1=Kojima|first1=Makoto|last2=Noguchi|first2=Masafumi|title=Sinking satellite disk galaxies. I. Shell formation preceded by cessation of star formation|journal=The Astrophysical Journal|date=20 May 1997|volume=481|issue=1|pages=132–156|doi=10.1086/304021|bibcode=1997ApJ...481..132K|doi-access=free}}