NGC 4068 is an irregular galaxy in Ursa Major, 14 million light-years away
NGC 4068 (PGC 038148) is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 14 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.7 and spans 1.9′ × 1.2′ of sky, about 7,820 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 4068 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 4068
URSA MAJOR
NGC 4068 lies 1.9° southeast of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 4068 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 75° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -38° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -61° 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 37°S, and never sets north of 37°N.
NGC 4068 is 14 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4068 tonight left it about 14 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4068
88 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4102, mixed spiral galaxy, 23′ M109 Messier 109, spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 3953, spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 4026, lenticular galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4088, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 3917, late spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4085, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4157, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.4°
NGC 4068 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 4068, PGC 038148, MCG +09-20-079, SDSS J120400.77+523517.7, UGC 07047 Type irregular galaxy (I) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 04.0m Declination (J2000) +52° 35′ Magnitude 12.7 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 1.2′ Position angle 29° True size 7,820 light-years Distance 14 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 211 km/s, redshift 0.0007 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
