NGC 5018

NGC 5018 is an elliptical galaxy located approximately 120 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It is a member of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. NGC 5018 is notable for its distinctive shell structure, characterized by faint, concentric arcs of stars that surround the galaxy's core. These shells are thought to be the result of a past merger with a smaller galaxy. The gravitational interaction during the merger disrupted the stars from the smaller galaxy, distributing them into these shell-like formations.

The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on April 8, 1788.

Observations indicate that NGC 5018 contains a supermassive black hole at its center. Its mass is estimated to be millions of times the mass of the Sun.

The shell structures and overall morphology of NGC 5018 make it a valuable object for studying galaxy evolution and the dynamics of galaxy mergers. Detailed analyses of its stellar populations and kinematics provide insights into the processes that shape galaxies over cosmic timescales.