NGC 4163 is an irregular galaxy in Canes Venatici, 9.5 million light-years away
NGC 4163 (PGC 038881) is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici , 9.5 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.1 and spans 1.7′ × 1.1′ of sky, about 4,630 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 4163 from Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli
NGC 4163
CANES VENATICI
NGC 4163 lies 9.0° west of Cor Caroli , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4163 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 11° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 27° 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: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 1° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -33° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -53° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -73° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -35° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 0° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -60° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -26° 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: -84° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -62° 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 54°S, and never sets north of 54°N.
NGC 4163 is 9.5 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4163 tonight left it about 9.5 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4163
56 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4214, irregular galaxy, 43′ NGC 4244, late spiral galaxy, 2.0° NGC 4203, lenticular galaxy, 3.0° NGC 4151, early spiral galaxy, 3.3° NGC 4145, late spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 4395, Magellanic spiral galaxy, 3.8° NGC 3941, lenticular galaxy, 3.9° NGC 4369, barred spiral galaxy, 4.0°
NGC 4163 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Canes Venatici Designations NGC 4163, PGC 038881, MCG +06-27-026, UGC 07199 Type irregular galaxy (I) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 12.2m Declination (J2000) +36° 10′ Magnitude 13.1 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.7′ × 1.1′ Position angle 8° True size 4,630 light-years Distance 9.5 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 165 km/s, redshift 0.00055 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
