De Vaucouleurs Atlas Type: S0⁺ sp

Filter: B

Telescope: KPNO 2.1-m
North up , East left
Field Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.8 arcminutes

RC3 Type: SA0⁺ sp
RSA Type: S0₃(8)
Surface Brightness Range Displayed: 18.5-27.0 mag per square arcsec
Absolute Blue Magnitude: -20.1

De Vaucouleurs Atlas Description:

NGC 5866 has both a thin and a thick disk, only in this case the thin disk includes a thin, slightly warped dust disk. The thin dust disk is misaligned with the stellar disk by as much as 2^o (Burbidge and Burbidge 1960b) and has a more limited extent than the thin stellar disk, thus parts of the latter peer out as enhancements flanking the center. Because of the dust lane, we classify the galaxy as a late S0. Kaprzak and Welch (2003) dicuss the isolated nature of NGC 5866 and its interstellar medium. The color index map shows that the dust lane is blue in its midsection. This blue color blends into the thin stellar disk, confirming the limited extent of the dust disk.