NGC 4181 is an elliptical galaxy in Ursa Major, 422 million light-years away
NGC 4181 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 422 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.1′ × 46″ of sky, about 137,500 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 4181 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 4181
URSA MAJOR
NGC 4181 lies 2.9° east of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4181 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: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 74° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 86° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 15° 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: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 14° 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: 11° 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: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -4° 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: 3° 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: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -24° 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°: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -33° 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: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 11° 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: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -43° 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: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -15° 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: -18° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -63° 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 4181 is 422 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4181 tonight left it about 422 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4181
93 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, 59′ NGC 4194 Medusa Merger, barred spiral galaxy, 1.6° M109 Messier 109, spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 4157, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.4° NGC 4088, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.6° NGC 4085, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.8° NGC 4026, lenticular galaxy, 2.8° NGC 3953, spiral galaxy, 2.9°
NGC 4181 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 4181, 2MASX J12124899+5254122, MCG +09-20-111, PGC 038938, SDSS J121248.98+525411.8, SDSS J121248.98+525412.0, SDSS J121248.99+525411.8 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 12.8m Declination (J2000) +52° 54′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.1′ × 46″ Position angle 8° True size 137,500 light-years Distance 422 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 9,469 km/s, redshift 0.0321 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
