NGC 3184

NGC 3184, the Little Pinwheel Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy approximately 40 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Its name comes from its resemblance to the Pinwheel Galaxy. It has two HII regions named NGC 3180 and NGC 3181.

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NGC 3184 houses a high abundance of heavy elements and SN 1999gi, a magnitude 14 Type II supernova detected on December 9, 1999. Other supernovae in NGC 3184 include 1921B (mag 13.5), 1921C (mag 11) and 1937F (mag 13.5).

The blue color of its spiral arms comes mostly from relatively few bright young blue stars. The bright stars that highlight the arms were created in huge density waves that circle the center.

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Keywords: NGC 3184, 110 Finest NGCs, Ursa Major