NGC 4871 is a lenticular galaxy in Coma Berenices, 328 million light-years away
NGC 4871 (2MASS J12592995+2757231) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 328 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.2 and spans 46″ × 34″ of sky, about 73,400 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 4871 from Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli
NGC 4871
COMA BERENICES
NGC 4871 lies 10.4° south of Cor Caroli , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4871 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 0° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -18° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 10° 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: 84° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -37° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -46° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -54° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -71° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -61° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -13° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -67° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -9° 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: -85° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -77° 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 62°S, and never sets north of 62°N.
NGC 4871 is 328 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4871 tonight left it about 328 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4871
308 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4874, elliptical galaxy, 1′ NGC 4889, elliptical galaxy, 9′ NGC 4921, early spiral galaxy, 26′ NGC 4839, elliptical galaxy, 39′ NGC 4793, late spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 4789A, irregular galaxy, 1.4° NGC 4789, lenticular galaxy, 1.5° NGC 4747, barred spiral galaxy, 2.8°
NGC 4871 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 4871, 2MASS J12592995+2757231, MCG +05-31-066, PGC 044606, SDSS J125929.95+275723.0, SDSS J125929.96+275723.1, SDSS J125929.96+275723.2 Type lenticular galaxy (S0) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 59.5m Declination (J2000) +27° 57′ Magnitude 14.2 (B 15.0) Surface brightness 23.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 46″ × 34″ Position angle 160° True size 73,400 light-years Distance 328 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 6,719 km/s, redshift 0.02267 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4501 to 5000
