NGC 4168 is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo, 101 million light-years away
NGC 4168 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 101 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.4 and spans 2.9′ × 2.3′ of sky, about 85,800 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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 4168 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4168
VIRGO
NGC 4168 lies 5.8° east of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4168 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 0° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 48° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -27° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -35° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -56° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 84° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -48° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -75° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -52° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -66° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -83° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -55° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -66° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -72° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -49° 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 77°S, and never sets north of 77°N.
NGC 4168 is 101 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4168 tonight left it about 101 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4168
452 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4193, mixed spiral galaxy, 24′ NGC 4189, late spiral galaxy, 26′ NGC 4206, spiral galaxy, 45′ NGC 4216, mixed spiral galaxy, 53′ NGC 4208, late spiral galaxy, 1.1° M98 Messier 98, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4267, lenticular galaxy, 1.9° M99 Coma Pinwheel Galaxy, late spiral galaxy, 2.0°
NGC 4168 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4168, 2MASX J12121723+1312192, MCG +02-31-046, PGC 038890, SDSS J121217.26+131218.6, SDSS J121217.26+131218.7, SDSS J121217.27+131218.7, UGC 07203 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 12.3m Declination (J2000) +13° 12′ Magnitude 11.4 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.9′ × 2.3′ Position angle 121° True size 85,800 light-years Distance 101 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,270 km/s, redshift 0.0076 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
