NGC 3258

NGC 3258
NGC 3258
NGC 3258 (center) imaged by the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationAntlia
Right ascension10h 28m 53.588s
Declination−35° 36′ 19.98″
Redshift0.009357
Heliocentric radial velocity2,792±28 km/s
Distance124.3 Mly (38.11 Mpc)
Group or clusterAntlia Cluster
Apparent magnitude (V)11.72
Apparent magnitude (B)12.50
Characteristics
TypeE1
Size~193,900 ly (59.45 kpc) (estimated)
Apparent size (V)2.9′ × 2.5′
Other designations
ESO 375- G 037, NGC 3258, LEDA 30859, MCG -06-23-032, PGC 30859

NGC 3258 is a giant elliptical galaxy in the southern constellation of Antlia. It was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on May 2, 1834. NGC 3258 is one of the two brightest members of the Antlia Cluster, which lies about 40.7 megaparsecs (132.7 million light-years) away from the Milky Way. It is the namesake of the sparse NGC 3258 group of galaxies that includes the elliptical galaxy NGC 3260 and barred spiral NGC 3257.

The morphological classification of NGC 3258 is E1, which indicates it displays a mild ellipticity. It is a weak, extended radio source. Photometry shows a disk of dust around the center of the galaxy, which is aligned with the major axis. There is a heated component of this disk with a mass of 48 M☉ within a radius of 5.5 kpc, which may indicate star formation. Based on a lack of X-ray emission, there is no indication of activity at the center.

ALMA observations of the cold gas disk near the supermassive black hole at the core provide a mass estimate of 2.249×109 M☉ with an uncertainty of 0.18%. Spectroscopic observations of star motions near the core yield an independent mass estimate of (2.2±0.2)×109 M☉, which is a good match to the ALMA estimate.

NGC 3258 has an extensive population of globular clusters that is estimated at 6000±150. A population of 23 ultra-compact dwarfs have been identified in the vicinity of NGC 3258, some of which may be former dwarf galaxies that have been captured and stripped during minor merger events. These objects provide a mass estimate of 2.7×1012 M☉ within a radius of around 47 kpc from the galactic center.

One supernova has been observed in NGC 3258. The type Ia supernova SN 2010hx was discovered by Berto Monard [fr] on September 16, 2010 at a magnitude of 15.3.

References

  1. 1 2 Skrutskie, Michael F.; et al. (February 2006). "The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS)". The Astronomical Journal. 131 (2): 1163–1183. Bibcode:2006AJ....131.1163S. doi:10.1086/498708. ISSN 0004-6256. S2CID 18913331.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "NGC 3258". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  3. ↑ Crook, Aidan C.; et al. (2007). "Groups of Galaxies in the Two Micron All Sky Redshift Survey". The Astrophysical Journal. 655 (2): 790–813. arXiv:astro-ph/0610732. Bibcode:2007ApJ...655..790C. doi:10.1086/510201. S2CID 11672751.
  4. 1 2 Dirsch, B.; et al. (September 2003). "The globular cluster systems of NGC 3258 and NGC 3268 in the Antlia cluster". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 408 (3): 929–939. arXiv:astro-ph/0307200. Bibcode:2003A&A...408..929D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20031027. S2CID 763415.
  5. 1 2 "Results for object NGC 3258". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. NASA and Caltech. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  6. 1 2 Bassino, Lilia P.; et al. (May 2008). "VLT photometry in the Antlia cluster: the giant ellipticals NGC3258 and NGC3268 and their globular cluster systems". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 386 (2): 1145–1156. arXiv:0802.2354. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.386.1145B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13115.x.
  7. ↑ Dunlop, Storm (2005). Atlas of the Night Sky. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-717223-8.
  8. ↑ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue objects: NGC 3250 - 3299". cseligman.com. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  9. 1 2 De Bruyne, V.; et al. (April 2004). "Modelling galactic spectra - I. A dynamical model for NGC 3258". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 349 (2): 440–460. arXiv:astro-ph/0312156. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.349..440D. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07495.x.
  10. ↑ Pedersen, Kristian; et al. (August 1997). "A New Measurement of the Baryonic Fraction Using the Sparse NGC 3258 Group of Galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 485 (1): L17–L20. arXiv:astro-ph/9705217. Bibcode:1997ApJ...485L..17P. doi:10.1086/310802.
  11. ↑ De Bruyne, V.; et al. (April 2004). "Modelling galactic spectra - II. Simultaneous study of stellar dynamics and stellar mix in NGC 3258". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 349 (2): 461–475. arXiv:astro-ph/0312150. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.349..461D. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07496.x.
  12. ↑ Boizelle, Benjamin D.; et al. (August 2019). "A Precision Measurement of the Mass of the Black Hole in NGC 3258 from High-resolution ALMA Observations of Its Circumnuclear Disk". The Astrophysical Journal. 881 (1). id. 10. arXiv:1906.06267. Bibcode:2019ApJ...881...10B. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab2a0a.
  13. ↑ Waters, Thomas K.; et al. (August 2024). "A Stellar Dynamical Mass Measurement of the Supermassive Black Hole in NGC 3258". The Astrophysical Journal. 971 (2). id. 149. arXiv:2406.14623. Bibcode:2024ApJ...971..149W. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ad5a91.
  14. ↑ Caso, Juan Pablo; et al. (September 2017). "Globular cluster systems as tracers of the evolutionary history in NGC 3258 and NGC 3268". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 470 (3): 3227–3238. arXiv:1812.09364. Bibcode:2017MNRAS.470.3227C. doi:10.1093/mnras/stx1393.
  15. ↑ Caso, Juan Pablo; et al. (April 2013). "Ultracompact dwarfs around NGC 3258 in the Antlia cluster". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 430 (2): 1088–1101. arXiv:1305.1896. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.430.1088C. doi:10.1093/mnras/sts687.
  16. ↑ Caso, Juan Pablo; et al. (July 2014). "Ultracompact dwarfs around NGC 3268". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 442 (1): 891–899. arXiv:1406.1776. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.442..891C. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu876.
  17. ↑ Monard, L. A. G. (2010). "Supernova 2010hx in NGC 3258". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams (2460): 1. Bibcode:2010CBET.2460....1M. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
  18. ↑ "SN 2010hx". Transient Name Server. IAU. Retrieved 2 January 2025.