NGC 4021 is an elliptical galaxy in Coma Berenices, 432 million light-years away
NGC 4021 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 432 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 56″ × 50″ of sky, about 116,800 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 4021 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4021
COMA BERENICES
NGC 4021 lies 10.8° north of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4021 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -23° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -31° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -14° 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: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 64° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -45° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -65° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -72° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -71° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -67° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -73° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -54° 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 65°S, and never sets north of 65°N.
NGC 4021 is 432 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4021 tonight left it about 432 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4021
228 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3899, spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 3900, lenticular galaxy, 2.9° NGC 4162, spiral galaxy, 3.1° NGC 4008, elliptical galaxy, 3.1° NGC 4104, lenticular galaxy, 3.5° NGC 4213, elliptical galaxy, 3.9° NGC 3937, lenticular galaxy, 4.7° NGC 3808B, barred spiral galaxy, 4.9°
NGC 4021 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 4021, 2MASX J11590257+2504596, MCG +04-28-112, PGC 037730, SDSS J115902.58+250459.5, SDSS J115902.59+250459.5 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 59.0m Declination (J2000) +25° 05′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 24.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 56″ × 50″ Position angle 81° True size 116,800 light-years Distance 432 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 9,860 km/s, redshift 0.03345 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
