NGC 4287 is a spiral galaxy in Virgo, 96 million light-years away
NGC 4287 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 96 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.2′ × 23″ of sky, about 34,000 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 4287 from Porrima
Porrima
NGC 4287
VIRGO
NGC 4287 lies 8.8° northwest of Porrima , the magnitude 2.7 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4287 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -19° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -30° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 48° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -64° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -48° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -74° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 84° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -83° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -56° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -84° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 64° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -75° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -48° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -44° 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 84°S.
NGC 4287 is 96 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4287 tonight left it about 96 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4287
275 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4281, lenticular galaxy, 17′ NGC 4270, lenticular galaxy, 18′ NGC 4273, late spiral galaxy, 22′ NGC 4261, elliptical galaxy, 24′ NGC 4260, barred spiral galaxy, 35′ NGC 4324, lenticular galaxy, 41′ NGC 4339, elliptical galaxy, 49′ NGC 4292, lenticular galaxy, 1.1°
NGC 4287 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4287, 2MASX J12204845+0538229, MCG +01-32-014, PGC 039860, SDSS J122048.49+053823.5, SDSS J122048.49+053823.6 Type spiral galaxy (Sbc) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 20.8m Declination (J2000) +05° 38′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 23″ Position angle 71° True size 34,000 light-years Distance 96 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,136 km/s, redshift 0.00715 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
