NGC 4218 is a mixed spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, 44 million light-years away
NGC 4218 is a mixed spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici , 44 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 58″ × 37″ of sky, about 12,400 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 4218 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 4218
CANES VENATICI
NGC 4218 lies 6.5° southeast of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4218 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 73° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 87° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 72° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -0° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -71° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -64° 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 42°S, and never sets north of 42°N.
NGC 4218 is 44 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4218 tonight left it about 44 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4218
65 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4220, lenticular galaxy, 15′ NGC 4248, barred spiral galaxy, 48′ M106 Messier 106, spiral galaxy, 59′ NGC 4217, spiral galaxy, 1.0° NGC 4346, lenticular galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4096, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4144, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.9° NGC 4100, spiral galaxy, 2.1°
NGC 4218 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Canes Venatici Designations NGC 4218, 2MASX J12154624+4807531, IRAS 12132+4824, MCG +08-22-088, PGC 039237, SDSS J121546.40+480751.0, SDSS J121546.41+480751.0, UGC 07283 Type mixed spiral galaxy (SABa) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 15.8m Declination (J2000) +48° 08′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 58″ × 37″ Position angle 135° True size 12,400 light-years Distance 44 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 796 km/s, redshift 0.00266 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
