| NGC 4762 | |
| Credit: | NASA/STScI/WikiSky |
| Epoch: | J2000 |
| Type: | SB(r)0^0^, LINER[1] |
| Dist Ly: | 58 Mly (17.8 Mpc) |
| Group Cluster: | Virgo Cluster |
| Z: | 986 ± 5 km/s |
| Appmag V: | 11.12 |
| Size V: | 8.7 × 1.7 |
| Constellation Name: | Virgo |
| Names: | UGC 8016, PGC 43733, VCC 2095 |
NGC 4762 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It is at a distance of 60 million light years and is a member of the Virgo Cluster. The edge-on view of this particular galaxy, originally considered to be a barred spiral galaxy, makes it difficult to determine its true shape, but it is considered that the galaxy consists of four main components — a central bulge, a bar, a thick disc and an outer ring. The galaxy's disc is asymmetric and warped, which could be explained by NGC 4762 merging with a smaller galaxy in the past. The remains of this former companion may then have settled within NGC 4762's disc, redistributing the gas and stars and so changing the disc's morphology.[2]
NGC 4762 contains a Liner-type active galactic nucleus, a highly energetic central region. This nucleus is detectable due to its particular spectral line emission, allowing astronomers to measure the composition of the region.[2]
NGC 4762 forms a non-interacting[3] pair with the galaxy NGC 4754.[4]