NGC 4526 is a lenticular galaxy located about 50 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Virgo, the virgin. The galaxy is also part of the Virgo cluster and spins at an incredible speed of 250 kilometers per second. Dark dust lanes encircle a bright glowing nucleus adding a dramatic effect to the overall composition. In the galactic center lies a supermassive black hole 450 times more massive than the Sun. NGC 4526 has hosted 2 known supernovae; SN 1969E, discovered in 1969 and SN 1994D discovered in 1994, recorded as a type Ia supernova. Supernovae are violent stellar explosions that can briefly outshine an entire galaxy, releasing into space extreme amounts of energy. The picture above shows SN 1994D at lower left, bordering the galaxy’s prominent dust lanes.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Space Telescope.
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