NGC 4481 is an early spiral galaxy in Draco, 198 million light-years away
NGC 4481 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco , 198 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.2′ × 31″ of sky, about 70,700 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 4481 from Alioth
Alioth
NGC 4481
DRACO
NGC 4481 lies 8.6° north of Alioth , the magnitude 1.8 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4481 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: 52° 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: 86° 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: 36° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 34° 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: 45° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 56° 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: 26° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 48° 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: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 28° 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: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 40° 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: 4° 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: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 31° 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: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 10° 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: 36° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -13° 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°: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -23° 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: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -42° 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: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -26° 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: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -51° 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: -14° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -24° 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: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -60° 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 26°S, and never sets north of 26°N.
NGC 4481 is 198 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4481 tonight left it about 198 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4481
45 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, 20′ NGC 4256, spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4125, elliptical galaxy, 2.6° NGC 4605, barred spiral galaxy, 2.7° NGC 4041, spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 4036, lenticular galaxy, 3.9° NGC 4128, lenticular galaxy, 5.2° NGC 3945, lenticular galaxy, 5.4°
NGC 4481 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations NGC 4481, 2MASX J12294832+6402020, IRAS 12275+6418, MCG +11-15-057, PGC 041222, SDSS J122948.66+640158.8, SDSS J122948.67+640158.8, SDSS J122948.67+640158.9 Type early spiral galaxy (Sab) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 29.8m Declination (J2000) +64° 02′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 31″ Position angle 146° True size 70,700 light-years Distance 198 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,343 km/s, redshift 0.0078 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
