NGC 4391 is a lenticular galaxy in Draco, 74 million light-years away
NGC 4391 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Draco , 74 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.3′ of sky, about 26,800 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 4391 from Alioth
Alioth
NGC 4391
DRACO
NGC 4391 lies 9.6° north of Alioth , the magnitude 1.8 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4391 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 63° 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: 75° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 62° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 65° 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: 35° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 18° 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: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 35° 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: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -35° 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: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 5° 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: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -8° 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: -41° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -34° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -65° 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 25°S, and never sets north of 25°N.
NGC 4391 is 74 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4391 tonight left it about 74 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4391
40 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4256, spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4512, lenticular galaxy, 1.3° NGC 4125, elliptical galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4605, barred spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 4041, spiral galaxy, 3.8° NGC 4036, lenticular galaxy, 4.0° NGC 4128, lenticular galaxy, 4.2° NGC 4236, barred spiral galaxy, 4.6°
NGC 4391 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations NGC 4391, 2MASX J12251872+6456008, MCG +11-15-053, PGC 040500, SDSS J122518.79+645600.4, SDSS J122518.79+645600.5, UGC 07511 Type lenticular galaxy (E-S0) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 25.3m Declination (J2000) +64° 56′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.3′ Position angle 125° True size 26,800 light-years Distance 74 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,319 km/s, redshift 0.00441 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
