NGC 4638

NGC 4638 is an edge-on lenticular galaxy located about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. NGC 4638 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 15, 1784. The galaxy is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

Structure
At the center of NGC 4638, there is a small bulge. There is also an edge-on disk and a diffuse, boxy halo. The shallow surface brightness gradient of the halo is characteristic of a large spheroidal galaxy. This means that NGC 4638 has properties of both S0 and Sph galaxies.