NGC 4238 is a mixed spiral galaxy in Draco, 118 million light-years away
NGC 4238 is a mixed spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco , 118 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.7′ × 32″ of sky, about 59,400 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 4238 from Dubhe
Dubhe
NGC 4238
DRACO
NGC 4238 lies 8.6° east of Dubhe , the magnitude 1.8 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4238 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 64° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 77° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 86° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 74° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 58° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 54° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 24° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -46° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -59° 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 27°S, and never sets north of 27°N.
NGC 4238 is 118 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4238 tonight left it about 118 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4238
62 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4512, lenticular galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4125, elliptical galaxy, 2.0° NGC 4041, spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 4036, lenticular galaxy, 2.3° NGC 4256, spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 4605, barred spiral galaxy, 3.2° NGC 3945, lenticular galaxy, 3.9° NGC 3894, elliptical galaxy, 5.2°
NGC 4238 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations NGC 4238, 2MASX J12165577+6324358, IRAS 12145+6341, MCG +11-15-041, PGC 039366, SDSS J121655.78+632435.8, SDSS J121655.80+632435.7, SDSS J121655.81+632435.7 Type mixed spiral galaxy (SABc) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 16.9m Declination (J2000) +63° 25′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.7′ × 32″ Position angle 35° True size 59,400 light-years Distance 118 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,757 km/s, redshift 0.00924 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
