NGC 4172 is an early spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 400 million light-years away
NGC 4172 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 400 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.2′ × 1.2′ of sky, about 143,000 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 4172 from δ UMa
δ UMa
NGC 4172
URSA MAJOR
NGC 4172 lies 58′ southwest of δ UMa , the magnitude 3.3 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 4172 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 74° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 51° 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: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -4° 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: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -30° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -52° 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: -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 34°S, and never sets north of 34°N.
NGC 4172 is 400 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4172 tonight left it about 400 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4172
91 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4194 Medusa Merger, barred spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 3998, lenticular galaxy, 2.1° NGC 3990, lenticular galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4290, spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 3982, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 3972, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 3913, late spiral galaxy, 3.1° NGC 4500, early spiral galaxy, 3.2°
NGC 4172 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 4172, 2MASX J12121490+5610386, MCG +09-20-109, PGC 038887, SDSS J121214.88+561039.1, SDSS J121214.89+561039.1, SDSS J121214.89+561039.2, SDSS J121214.89+561039.3 Type early spiral galaxy (Sab) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 12.2m Declination (J2000) +56° 11′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 1.2′ Position angle 0° True size 143,000 light-years Distance 400 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 9,173 km/s, redshift 0.03108 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
