NGC 3718 - Sa pec

NGC 3718

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Type: Sa pec

Filter: B

Telescope: UH 2.2-m
North left , East down
Field Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.9 arcminutes

RC3 Type: SB(s)a pec
RSA Type: Sa pec?
Surface Brightness Range Displayed: 19.5-26.0 mag per square arcsec
Absolute Blue Magnitude: -20.2

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Description:

The background starlight is very smooth in this strange object. In one interpretation, the galaxy has a broad bar with two open spiral arms; this is the basis of the RC3 type. However, this interpretation is not viable because of the odd dust lane. Also, a 2MASS image (Jarrett et al. 2003) shows a peculiar morphology that does not resemble a barred galaxy. The presence of tidal debris indicates that NGC 3718 has suffered a major interaction. All features are unusual.