NGC 3985 is a

barred spiral galaxy A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in about two thirds of all spiral galaxies in the local universe, and generally affect both the motions of stars and interstellar gas ...

in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

Ursa Major Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear", referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa M ...

. It is located at a distance of about 45 million

light year A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distance, astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by t ...

s from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 3726 is about 18,000 light years across. NGC 3985 is situated north of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

. The galaxy appears to have one spiral arm.Sandage, A., Bedke, J. (1994) ''The Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies. Volume I'',

Carnegie Institution of Washington The Carnegie Institution for Science, also known as Carnegie Science and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, is an organization established to fund and perform scientific research in the United States. This institution is headquartered in W ...

NGC 3985 belongs in the NGC 3877 group, which is part of the south Ursa Major groups, part of the

Virgo Supercluster The Local Supercluster (LSC or LS), or Virgo Supercluster is a formerly defined supercluster containing the Virgo Cluster and Local Group, which itself contains the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies, as well as others. At least 100 galaxy group ...

. Other galaxies in the same group are

NGC 3726 NGC 3726 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. It is located at a distance of circa 45 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 3726 is about 85,000 light years across. It w ...

, NGC 3893, NGC 3896, NGC 3906,

NGC 3928 NGC 3928, also known as the Miniature Spiral, is a lenticular galaxy, sometimes classified as a dwarf spiral galaxy, in the constellation Ursa Major. It was discovered by William Herschel Frederick William Herschel ( ; ; 15 November 1738 � ...

NGC 3949 NGC 3949 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major, approximately 50 million light-years away from the Earth. It was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on 5 February 1788. NGC 3949 is a member of the M10 ...

, and NGC 4010.

References

{{Ursa Major Barred spiral galaxies Ursa Major Ursa Major Cluster 3985 06921 +08-22-045 11541+4836 037542