NGC 4966 is a mixed spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, 292 million light-years away
NGC 4966 is a mixed spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 292 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.3 and spans 1′ × 29″ of sky, about 87,600 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 4966 from Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli
NGC 4966
COMA BERENICES
NGC 4966 lies 9.5° south of Cor Caroli , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4966 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
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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: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 1° 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: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -11° 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: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -21° 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: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -45° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -54° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 7° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 40° 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: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -79° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -68° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -84° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -71° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -46° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 18° 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: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -69° 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 61°S, and never sets north of 61°N.
NGC 4966 is 292 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4966 tonight left it about 292 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4966
214 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4921, early spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 4889, elliptical galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4874, elliptical galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4839, elliptical galaxy, 2.5° NGC 4793, late spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 4789A, irregular galaxy, 3.3° NGC 4789, lenticular galaxy, 3.3° NGC 4747, barred spiral galaxy, 4.6°
NGC 4966 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 4966, 2MASX J13061725+2903471, MCG +05-31-131, PGC 045358, SDSS J130617.29+290347.4, SDSS J130617.29+290347.5, UGC 08194 Type mixed spiral galaxy (SABa) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 06.3m Declination (J2000) +29° 04′ Magnitude 13.3 (B 14.0) Surface brightness 22.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1′ × 29″ Position angle 142° True size 87,600 light-years Distance 292 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 6,927 km/s, redshift 0.02338 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4501 to 5000
