| NGC 4596 | |
|---|---|
Sloan Digital Sky Survey image of NGC 4596. | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 39m 55.9s |
| Declination | 10° 10′ 34″ |
| Redshift | 0.006311 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1892 km/s |
| Distance | 55 Mly (16.8 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Virgo Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.35 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SB0^+(r) |
| Size | ~55,700 ly (17.08 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 4.0 x 3.0 |
| Other designations | |
| CGCG 70-206, MCG 2-32-170, PGC 42401, UGC 7828, VCC 1813 | |
NGC 4596 is a barred lenticular galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. NGC 4596 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784. NGC 4596 is a member of the Virgo Cluster and has an inclination of about 38°.
NGC 4596 has a strong bar with bright ansae at the ends. Two diffuse spiral arms branch off from the ends of the bar and form an inner pseudoring that is well-defined. The spiral arms continue out and fade rapidly in the bright outer disk.
NGC 4596 has a supermassive black hole with an estimated mass of 78 million suns (7.8×107 M☉).