NGC 4689

NGC 4689 is a spiral galaxy located about 54 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. NGC 4689 is also classified as a LINER galaxy. NGC 4689 is inclined at an angle of about 36° which means that the galaxy is seen almost face-on to the Earth's line of sight. NGC 4689 was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 12, 1784. The galaxy is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

Physical characteristics
NGC 4689 has ring-like feature in its inner regions. Surrounding the inner ring lies a zone of bright, flocculent spiral structure with a ring-like boundary. Outside this zone is a well-defined, diffuse outer ring which is an unusual feature for a late-type galaxy like NGC 4689.

Star formation
The star forming disk in NGC 4689 has been truncated which means that the amount of star formation has been reduced significantly. This truncation may have been caused by an interaction with intracluster medium of the Virgo Cluster causing the galaxy to lose much of its interstellar medium in an effect known as ram-pressure stripping. Due to its reduced amount of star formation, NGC 4689 has been classified as an anemic galaxy.