NGC 4486B is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo, 52 million light-years away
NGC 4486B is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 52 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.3 and spans 23″ of sky, about 5,730 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 4486B from Vindemiatrix
Vindemiatrix
NGC 4486B
VIRGO
NGC 4486B lies 7.9° west of Vindemiatrix , the magnitude 2.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4486B is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -13° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 72° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -21° 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: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -45° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 88° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 57° 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°: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -77° 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: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 52° 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: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -87° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 22° 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: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -72° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -51° 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 78°S, and never sets north of 78°N.
NGC 4486B is 52 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4486B tonight left it about 52 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4486B
625 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
M87 Virgo A, elliptical galaxy, 7′ NGC 4478, elliptical galaxy, 10′ NGC 4476, lenticular galaxy, 12′ NGC 4486A, elliptical galaxy, 15′ NGC 4440, early spiral galaxy, 40′ IC 3408, star, 41′ NGC 4461, lenticular galaxy, 47′ NGC 4458, elliptical galaxy, 51′
NGC 4486B catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4486B, 2MASX J12303198+1229248, MCG +02-32-101, PGC 041327, SDSS J123031.97+122924.6, UGCA 283 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 30.5m Declination (J2000) +12° 29′ Magnitude 13.3 (B 14.0) Surface brightness 21.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 23″ Position angle 20° True size 5,730 light-years Distance 52 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,538 km/s, redshift 0.00514 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
