NGC 4451 is a spiral galaxy in Virgo, 73 million light-years away
NGC 4451 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 73 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.5 and spans 1.4′ × 52″ of sky, about 28,700 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 4451 from Vindemiatrix
Vindemiatrix
NGC 4451
VIRGO
NGC 4451 lies 8.4° west of Vindemiatrix , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4451 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -18° 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: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 6° 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: 79° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 89° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -71° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -57° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 71° 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: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -88° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 61° 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: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -79° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 41° 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: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -48° 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 81°S.
NGC 4451 is 73 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4451 tonight left it about 73 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4451
589 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
IC 3400, star, 10′ NGC 4424, early spiral galaxy, 24′ NGC 4469, lenticular galaxy, 33′ NGC 4483, lenticular galaxy, 33′ NGC 4417, lenticular galaxy, 33′ NGC 4442, lenticular galaxy, 34′ NGC 4411B, mixed spiral galaxy, 36′ IC 3318, star, 52′
NGC 4451 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4451, 2MASX J12284055+0915321, IRAS 12260+0932, MCG +02-32-079, PGC 041050, SDSS J122840.50+091533.7, UGC 07600 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 28.7m Declination (J2000) +09° 16′ Magnitude 12.5 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.4′ × 52″ Position angle 166° True size 28,700 light-years Distance 73 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 784 km/s, redshift 0.00262 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
