Messier 95
Galaxy in the constellation Leo
Messier 95, also known as M95 or NGC 3351, is a barred spiral galaxy about 33 million light-years away in the zodiac constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by compatriot Charles Messier four days later. In 2012 its most recent supernova was discovered.
The galaxy has a morphological classification of SB(r)b, with the SBb notation indicating it is a barred spiral with arms that are intermediate on the scale from tightly to loosely wound, and an "(r)" meaning an inner ring surrounds the bar. The latter is a ring-shaped, circumnuclear star-forming region with a diameter of approximately 70,000 light-years (21,000 pc) and a thickness of around 2,400 light-years (750 pc). The spiral structure extends outward from the ring.
Its ring structure is about 3.5×108 M☉ (solar masses) in molecular gas and yields a star formation rate of 0.38 M☉ yr−1. The star formation is occurring in at least five regions with diameters between 100 and 150 pc that are composed of several star clusters ranging in size from 1.7 to 4.9 pc. These individual clusters contain (1.8-8.7)×106 M☉ of stars, and may be on the path to forming globular clusters.
M95 is one of several galaxies within the M96 Group, a group of galaxies in the constellation Leo, the other Messier objects of which are M96 and M105.
01Supernova
One supernova has been observed in M95:
- SN 2012aw (Type II-P, mag. 15) was discovered by Paolo Fagotti, and independently by Jure Skvarc, on 16 March 2012. The light curve of this displayed great flattening after 27 days, thus classifying it as a Type II-P, or "plateau", core-collapse supernova. The disappearance of the progenitor star was later confirmed from near-infrared imaging of the region. The brightness from the presumed red supergiant progenitor allowed its mass to be estimated as 12.5±1.5 M☉.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Messier 95”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- The VLT goes lion hunting.jpg by ESO, CC BY 3.0
- Caught in the act Messier 95.tif by ESO/ R. Leaman/ D. Gadotti/ K. Sandstrom/ D. Calzetti, CC BY 4.0
- NGC 3351 (weic2403m).jpg by NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Lee (STScI), T. Williams (Oxford), PHANGS Team, CC BY 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
