NGC 3607, 3608, and 3605 are three galaxies that belong to the **Leo II Group** of galaxies¹³, which is part of the **Virgo Supercluster**¹. They are located in the constellation of **Leo**, about **2.5° south** of the star Delta Leonis¹. They were discovered by **William Herschel** on March 14, 1784¹².
NGC 3607 is a **lenticular galaxy** with a **dusty disk** and a **central black hole** of about 120 million solar masses¹. It is the **brightest and largest** member of the group, with an apparent magnitude of **10.8** and an apparent size of **4.9′ × 2.5′**¹.
NGC 3608 is an **elliptical galaxy** with a **bimodal population** of globular clusters and a diffuse **X-ray emission** that suggests a possible merger with NGC 3607². It is about **13 billion years old** and has an apparent magnitude of **10.76** and an apparent size of **3.2′ × 2.6′**².
NGC 3605 is a **spiral galaxy** that looks elliptical because of its orientation⁴. It is the **faintest and smallest** member of the group, with an apparent magnitude of **12.3** and an apparent size of **1.5′ × 1.0′**³.
These three galaxies form a tight trio in a north-south line, while a fourth member, NGC 3626, lies 50′ to the northeast³.
Kilde: Samtale med Bing, 18.6.2023
(1) NGC 3607 - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3607.
(2) Exploring Bright Galaxy Groups in Leo - Sky & Telescope.
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/explore-night-bob-king/exploring-bright-galaxy-groups-in-leo/.
(3) NGC 3608 - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3608.
(4) New Image: NGC 3607 - TheSkySearchers.com.
https://theskysearchers.com/viewtopic.php?t=30167.
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