NGC 3311
NGC 3311 is a super-giant elliptical galaxy (a type-cD galaxy) located about 190 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 30, 1835. NGC 3311 is the brightest member of the Hydra Cluster and forms a pair with NGC 3309 which along with NGC 3311, dominate the central region of the Hydra Cluster.
| NGC 3311 | |
|---|---|
HST image of NGC 3311 | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Hydra |
| Right ascension | 10h 36m 42.8s |
| Declination | −27° 31′ 42″ |
| Redshift | 0.012759 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 3825 km/s |
| Distance | 190 Mly (57 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Hydra Cluster |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.65 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | cD2, E+2 |
| Number of stars | more than 1 trillion |
| Size | ~230,000 ly (70 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 3.5 x 2.9 |
| Notable features | Massive globular cluster population |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 501-38, AM 1034-271, MCG -4-25-36, PGC 31478 | |
NGC 3311 is surrounded by a rich and extensive globular cluster system rivaling that of Messier 87 in the Virgo Cluster.
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