NGC 3384
Encyclopedia
NGC 3384 is a Elliptical galaxy
Elliptical galaxy
An elliptical galaxy is a galaxy having an approximately ellipsoidal shape and a smooth, nearly featureless brightness profile. They range in shape from nearly spherical to highly flat and in size from hundreds of millions to over one trillion stars...

 in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Leo
Leo (constellation)
Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion. Its symbol is . Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east.-Stars:...

. The Galaxy was discovered by Herschel in 1784. The high age of the stars in the central region of NGC 3384 was confirmed after analysis of their color. More than 80% were found to be Population II stars which are over a billion years old.

Galaxy group information

NGC 3384 is a member of the M96 Group
M96 Group
The M96 Group is a group of galaxies in the constellation Leo. This group contains between 8 and 24 galaxies, including three Messier objects. The group is one of many groups that lies within the Virgo Supercluster The M96 Group (also known as the Leo I Group) is a group of galaxies in the...

, a group of galaxies in the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Leo
Leo (constellation)
Leo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for lion. Its symbol is . Leo lies between dim Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east.-Stars:...

 that is sometimes referred to as the Leo I Group. This group also includes the Messier objects M95
Messier 95
Messier 95 is a barred spiral galaxy about 38 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781, and catalogued by Charles Messier four days later.-Nucleus:...

, M96
Messier 96
Messier 96 is an intermediate spiral galaxy about 31 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1781.-M96 Group:...

, and M105
Messier 105
Messier 105 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Leo. Messier 105 is known to have a supermassive black hole.-History:...

. All of these objects are conspicuously close to each other in the sky.

External links

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