NGC 3610

NGC 3610 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered on 8 April 1793 by German-British astronomer William Herschel. This galaxy is located at a distance of 106 million light-years (32.5 Mpc) from the Milky Way, and is receding with a galacto-centric radial velocity of 1,819 km/s.

NGC 3610 is a relatively young elliptical galaxy which has not yet lost its disk. It has a morphological classification of E5, indicating a 2:1 ratio between the major and minor axes of the elliptical profile. This is a candidate merger remnant of intermediate age, with a surviving disk of gas and dusk aligned with the major axis. This merger is estimated to have occurred 4±2.5 Gyr ago. The central part of the disk displays warping, and is significantly younger than the remainder of the galaxy.

The unusual amount of blue light emission of NGC 3610, or B–V in the UBV photometric system, suggests recent star formation. The current estimated star formation rate is 0.385±0.375 M_☉·yr⁻¹. There is a population of younger globular clusters orbiting the galaxy that is a likely product of the merger. The surviving population of older, metal-rich globular clusters suggests that at least one of the progenitor galaxies had a prominent bulge component.

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References

Bassino, Lilia P.; Caso, Juan P. (April 2017). "The merger remnant NGC 3610 and its globular cluster system: a large-scale study". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 466 (4): 4259–4271. arXiv:1701.02056. Bibcode:2017MNRAS.466.4259B. doi:10.1093/mnras/stw3390.
Goudfrooij, Paul; et al. (June 2007). "Dynamical Evolution of Globular Cluster Systems Formed in Galaxy Mergers: Deep Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys Imaging of Old and Intermediate-Age Globular Clusters in NGC 3610". The Astronomical Journal. 133 (6): 2737–2751. arXiv:astro-ph/0702467. Bibcode:2007AJ....133.2737G. doi:10.1086/516634.
Strader, Jay; et al. (January 2004). "Revisiting the Globular Cluster System of the Merger Remnant Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610". The Astronomical Journal. 127 (1): 295–301. arXiv:astro-ph/0310611. Bibcode:2004AJ....127..295S. doi:10.1086/380614.
Strader, Jay; et al. (February 2003). "Keck Spectroscopy of Globular Clusters in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3610". The Astronomical Journal. 125 (2): 626–633. arXiv:astro-ph/0211156. Bibcode:2003AJ....125..626S. doi:10.1086/346086.
Whitmore, Bradley C.; et al. (July 2002). "The Luminosity Functions of Old and Intermediate-Age Globular Clusters in NGC 3610". The Astronomical Journal. 124 (1): 147–157. arXiv:astro-ph/0205001. Bibcode:2002AJ....124..147W. doi:10.1086/340808.
Fabbiano, G.; Schweizer, Francois (July 1995). "ROSAT PSPC Observations of Two Dynamically Young Elliptical Galaxies: NGC 4125 and NGC 3610". Astrophysical Journal. 447: 572. Bibcode:1995ApJ...447..572F. doi:10.1086/175900.
Scorza, C.; Bender, R. (August 1990). "A disk in the elliptical galaxy NGC 3610". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 235: 49. Bibcode:1990A&A...235...49S.