IC 4261 is a lenticular galaxy in Hydra, 450 million light-years away
IC 4261 (ESO 444-054) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Hydra , 450 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.2′ × 48″ of sky, about 153,200 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in May.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding IC 4261 from Naga
Naga
IC 4261
HYDRA
IC 4261 lies 5.4° southeast of Naga , the magnitude 3.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
IC 4261 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -56° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -48° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -65° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -50° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -74° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -72° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -76° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -73° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -66° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -58° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -49° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 48° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 76° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 72° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 51° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole southern hemisphere and north to about 62°N, and never sets south of 62°S.
IC 4261 is 450 million light-years away
The light seen from IC 4261 tonight left it about 450 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of IC 4261
96 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5182, spiral galaxy, 15′ NGC 5153, elliptical galaxy, 1.7° NGC 5152, barred spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 5101, lenticular galaxy, 1.9° NGC 5135, early spiral galaxy, 2.0° NGC 5078, early spiral galaxy, 2.3° M83 South Pinwheel Galaxy, late spiral galaxy, 2.4° NGC 5124, elliptical galaxy, 2.5°
IC 4261 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Hydra Designations IC 4261, ESO 444-054, 2MASX J13294767-2800228, ESO-LV 444-0540, MCG -05-32-032, PGC 047392 Type lenticular galaxy (S0) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 29.8m Declination (J2000) -28° 00′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 48″ Position angle 131° True size 153,200 light-years Distance 450 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 9,942 km/s, redshift 0.03373 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page IC 4001 to 4500
