NGC 3507
NGC 3507 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo. The galaxy lies about 50 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 3507 is approximately 47,000 light years across. It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on March 14, 1784.
Characteristics
The galaxy features a prominent bar and two spiral arms emerge from the end of the bar at a right angle. It is considered to be a grand design galaxy, as the two arms are well defined. The arms are bright for about half a revolution and can be traced for nearly a full revolution before fading. The Southeast arm wraps more tightly than the northwest one. The inner regions feature knots, which have been identified as young star groupings. About 90 have been detected, with a mean diameter of 121 pc. The galaxy lacks high-velocity clouds, indicating low star formation rate. The star formation rate is estimated to be. The hydrogen distribution is clumpy and there is a low HI signal from the central region of the galaxy.The nucleus of the galaxy has been found to be active and has been categorised as a LINER. However its active nucleus status has been questioned, as the ultraviolet radiation and optical spectrum are consistent with the presence of a compact young star cluster in the nucleus and the X-ray emission doesn't follow the power law indicating it could be the result of many supernova remnants creating a superbubble. On the other hand, OIII/ Hα and NII/ Hα ratios are in line with other active galaxies. A radio counterpart of the core which extends slightly to the south has been observed, indicating the galaxy may have a jet.
The galaxy is seen nearly face-on, at an inclination of 17°.
The bright star near the center of the galaxy is a spectroscopic binary, catalogued as BD+18 2441.