NGC 4291 is an elliptical galaxy in Draco, 86 million light-years away
NGC 4291 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Draco , 86 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.4 and spans 1.9′ × 1.6′ of sky, about 48,000 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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 4291 from Kochab
Kochab
NGC 4291
DRACO
NGC 4291 lies 9.8° northwest of Kochab , the magnitude 2.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4291 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 65° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 64° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -13° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -35° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -42° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -52° 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 15°S, and never sets north of 15°N.
NGC 4291 is 86 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4291 tonight left it about 86 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4291
37 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4319, barred spiral galaxy, 6′ NGC 4386, lenticular galaxy, 18′ NGC 4589, elliptical galaxy, 1.6° NGC 4648, elliptical galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4750, early spiral galaxy, 3.2° NGC 4250, lenticular galaxy, 4.6° NGC 3562, elliptical galaxy, 5.2° NGC 3516, lenticular galaxy, 5.8°
NGC 4291 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations NGC 4291, 2MASX J12201769+7522154, MCG +13-09-024, PGC 039791, UGC 07397 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 20.3m Declination (J2000) +75° 22′ Magnitude 11.4 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 22.6 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 1.6′ Position angle 108° True size 48,000 light-years Distance 86 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,777 km/s, redshift 0.00594 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
