NGC 3314

NGC 3314
NGC 3314a (foreground) and NGC 3314b (background) taken by the Hubble Space Telescope
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
Constellation	Hydra
Right ascension	10h 37m 12.5s
Declination	-27° 41' 05"
Redshift	+0.0095 (a) +0.01548 (b)
Distance	117 Mly (a) 140 million ly (b)
Type	SBbc/SAab
Apparent dimensions (V)	2′.6 × 1′.7
Apparent magnitude (V)	+12.5
Notable features	galaxy overlapping another
Other designations
(NGC 3314): ESO 501-46 , AM 1034-272 , MCG-04-25-041 (NGC 3314A): LEDA 31531 (NGC 3314B): LEDA 31532

NGC 3314 is a pair of overlapping spiral galaxies between 117 and 140 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. This unique alignment gives astronomers the opportunity to measure the properties of interstellar dust in the face-on foreground galaxy (NGC3314a), which appear dark against the background galaxy (NGC 3314b). Unlike interacting galaxies, the two components of NGC3314 are physically unrelated. It was discovered in April 1999.

In a March 2000 observation of the galaxies, a prominent green star-like object was seen in one of the arms. Astronomers theorized that it could have been a supernova, but the unique filtering properties of the foreground galaxy made it difficult to decide definitively.

External links

• APOD: When Galaxies Overlap (May 7, 2005)
• SPACE.com: Hubble Spies Galactic Dust Silhouette
• Simbad: NGC 3314 -- Interacting Galaxies
• NGC 3314 on WikiSky: DSS2, SDSS, GALEX, IRAS, Hydrogen α, X-Ray, Astrophoto, Sky Map, Articles and images