NGC 6044

NGC 6044 is a lenticular galaxy located approximately 440 million light-years away in the constellation Hercules. It was discovered by Édouard Stephan on June 27, 1870.

NGC 6044 is a member of the Abell 2151 galaxy cluster (also known as the Hercules Cluster). Lenticular galaxies, classified as S0, represent an intermediate form between spiral and elliptical galaxies. They possess a disk and a central bulge like spiral galaxies but lack prominent spiral arms. Typically, they also contain little to no active star formation.

Its position within a dense galaxy cluster like Abell 2151 suggests that NGC 6044 may have undergone ram-pressure stripping, a process where the galaxy's gas and dust are removed by the intracluster medium, inhibiting further star formation and contributing to its lenticular morphology.