NGC 4686 is an early spiral galaxy in Ursa Major
NGC 4686 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major . It shines at magnitude 12.5 and spans 1.9′ × 40″. 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 4686 from Alioth
Alioth
NGC 4686
URSA MAJOR
NGC 4686 lies 1.8° southwest of Alioth , the magnitude 1.8 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 4686 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: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 84° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -18° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -42° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -16° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -75° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -67° 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 35°S, and never sets north of 35°N.
The distance to NGC 4686 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 4686
49 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4707, Magellanic spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 4814, spiral galaxy, 4.0° NGC 4500, early spiral galaxy, 4.0° NGC 4194 Medusa Merger, barred spiral galaxy, 4.7° NGC 4290, spiral galaxy, 5.0°
NGC 4686 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 4686, 2MASX J12463982+5432030, MCG +09-21-044, PGC 043101, SDSS J124639.88+543203.3, UGC 07946 Type early spiral galaxy (Sa) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 46.7m Declination (J2000) +54° 32′ Magnitude 12.5 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 40″ Position angle 2° Radial velocity 4,980 km/s, redshift 0.01675 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4501 to 5000
