NGC 4303 - SAB(rs)bc

NGC 4303

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Type: SAB(rs)bc

Filter: B

Telescope: WHT 4.2-m
North up , East left
Field Dimensions: 7.1 x 7.5 arcminutes

RC3 Type: SAB(rs)bc
RSA Type: Sc(s)I.2
Surface Brightness Range Displayed: 17.0-26.0 mag per square arcsec
Absolute Blue Magnitude: -21.0
Elmegreen Spiral Arm Class: AC 9

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Description:

The bar of this excellent face-on Virgo Cluster spiral is well-defined but weak. In spite of the apparent weakness, strong leading dust lanes are present in the bar. The center is known to harbor a small nuclear ring (Pogge 1989). The inner pseudoring is a prototypical example having what de Vaucouleurs referred to as a ``characteristic hexagonal shape." The ring is indeed defined by six rather linear segments. De Vaucouleurs believed this to be a defining characteristic of the SAB(rs) type. Rautiainen, Salo, and Laurikainen (2005) simulated NGC 4303 under the assumption of a constant near-IR mass-to-light ratio, and found that the straight linear segments of the inner pseudoring could be reproduced only if the bar is slow, with rCR/rbar~2.0. The outer arms of NGC 4303 are extensive and complex, with a multiple character.