Today, NGC 4424 is a topic that generates great interest and impact in society. Whether due to its historical relevance, its impact on public health, its influence on popular culture or its relevance in the business field, NGC 4424 has captured the attention of millions of people around the world. From its origins to its evolution today, NGC 4424 has been the subject of debates, analyzes and studies that seek to understand its scope and meaning. In this article, we will explore the different facets of NGC 4424 and its influence on various aspects of our lives.
NGC 4424 imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope; the smaller galaxy IC 3366 is below center
The galaxy NGC 4424 has a peculiar morphology with shells that give the appearance of a galaxy merger within the last half billion years. It has a long tail of hydrogen stretching 110 kpc to the south that is likely due to stripping from ram pressure. Because of the lack of gas, star formation has completely ceased in the outer parts of the galaxy, while there is still a mild amount occurring in the inner region. NGC 4424 will most likely end up as a lenticular galaxy by three billion years from now.[5]
There is no indication of a compact source of X-ray emission in the nucleus, but there is an ionized tail stretching ~10 kpc from the core.[5] The velocity dispersion at the core suggests there is a supermassive black hole (SMBH) with a mass of (0.8±0.2)×105M☉.[9]Hubble images of this galaxy show a tidally-stretchedcluster located at a projected distance of ~400 pc from the nucleus. This is probably the core of a captured galaxy. It contains a compact source that is emitting X-rays and may be an active massive black hole. In time this may merge with the core SMBH of NGC 4424.[9]
SN 1895A (type unknown, mag. 12.5) was discovered by Max Wolf on March 16, 1895.[10][11]
SN 2012cg (Type Ia, mag. 16.9) was discovered by the LOSS program from images taken on May 17, 2012.[12][13] It reached maximum light (mag. 11.9) nine days later[14] and became the brightest supernova of the year 2012.[15] The supernova reached a peak absolute magnitude of −19.50±0.31 in the B (blue) band and synthesized 0.72±0.31 M☉ of the radioactiveisotopenickel-56.[2] The available observations favor a merger of double degenerate progenitors as the source for the event.[16] The proximity of the galaxy made this one of the best studied supernova explosions to date.[16]
^"SN1895A". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
^Kandrashoff, M.; et al. (May 2012). Green, D. W. E. (ed.). "Supernova 2012cg in NGC 4424 = Psn J12271283+0925132". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 3111 (1): 1. Bibcode:2012CBET.3111....1K.
^"SN2012cg". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 3 June 2025.