Spiral Galaxies NGC 4568 and NGC 4567

aka "The Siamese Twins"
Supernova 2004cc

Supernova 2002de:

• Discovered: June 10, 2004, by the LOTOSS supernova group's Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT).
• Magnitude 17.5 at discovery.
• Type Ic
• Blue Magnitude = 15.92; Red Mag = 15.26 in the Kopernik image above.

Follow this Link to a NASA Web site on supernovas. It has a very nice animation and a description of what these objects are.

NGC 4568 & NGC 4567:

This pair of Spiral Galaxies in Virgo is known as "The Siamese Twins" or "The Butterfly Galaxies". Both are classic spiral galaxies with small bright nuclei, several knotty arms, and arm segments. Both also have a hint of an inner ring. The pair is probably a member of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. NGC 4568 is currently the host galaxy of Supernova 2004cc (Type Ic) and was also the host of Supernova 1990B a Type Ic that reached a maximum magnitude of 14.4.

Since they both have nearly the same red shift they may well be very close or in actual contract. However, other than a dim general x-ray glow involving both galaxies there is no indication of interaction. Neither galaxy is distorted nor are there any tidal tails. If they are in contract their orbital dynamics is such that they have not become distorted. Based on their red shifts they are roughly 120 million light years away (Hubble Constant of 62 Km per sec., per Megaparsec) and at that distance the projected distance between their nuclei is only 45,200 light years.

NGC 4567 Magnitude: 12.1 Constellation: Virgo RA: 12h 36m 32.8s Dec: +11° 15' 31" Epoch 2000 Size (mins): 2.9' x 2.0' Classification: SA(rs)bc        Spiral Galaxy, mixed inner ring - S-shaped Dreyer description in the NGC:        "Very faint, large, northwest of double nebula....."

NGC 4568 Magnitude: 11.9 RA: 12h 36m 34.7s Dec: +11° 14' 15" Epoch 2000 Size (mins): 4.6' x 2.0' Classification: SA(rs)bc        Spiral Galaxy, mixed inner ring - S-shaped Dreyer description in the NGC:        "Very faint, large, southeast of double nebula."

Click below to

George Normandin, KAS

June 29th, 2004