NGC 4020 is a late spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 41 million light-years away
NGC 4020 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 41 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.9′ × 49″ of sky, about 22,100 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 NGC 4020 from ν UMa
ν UMa
NGC 4020
URSA MAJOR
NGC 4020 lies 9.0° east of ν UMa , the magnitude 3.5 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4020 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -2° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 68° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -35° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -54° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -68° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -77° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -72° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -34° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -48° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -57° 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 northern hemisphere and south to about 60°S, and never sets north of 60°N.
NGC 4020 is 41 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4020 tonight left it about 41 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4020
150 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4062, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.8° NGC 3995, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.9° NGC 4008, elliptical galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4136, late spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 4150, lenticular galaxy, 2.5° NGC 4104, lenticular galaxy, 2.8° NGC 4169, lenticular galaxy, 3.2° NGC 3900, lenticular galaxy, 4.0°
NGC 4020 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 4020, 2MASX J11585693+3024490, IRAS 11563+3041, MCG +05-28-066, PGC 037723, SDSS J115856.67+302442.6, SDSS J115856.67+302442.8, UGC 06971 Type late spiral galaxy (Scd) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 58.9m Declination (J2000) +30° 25′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.6 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 49″ Position angle 19° True size 22,100 light-years Distance 41 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 761 km/s, redshift 0.00254 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
