NGC 4608 is a lenticular galaxy in Virgo, 56 million light-years away
NGC 4608 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 56 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.0 and spans 2.9′ × 2.5′ of sky, about 46,500 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 4608 from Vindemiatrix
Vindemiatrix
NGC 4608
VIRGO
NGC 4608 lies 5.2° west of Vindemiatrix , the magnitude 2.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4608 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 36° 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: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -20° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 44° 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: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 60° 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: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 34° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 88° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -55° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 80° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -89° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -61° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -5° 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: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -57° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -60° 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 80°S, and never sets north of 80°N.
NGC 4608 is 56 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4608 tonight left it about 56 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4608
472 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4596, lenticular galaxy, 19′ NGC 4578, lenticular galaxy, 1.1° NGC 4660, elliptical galaxy, 1.3° NGC 4638, lenticular galaxy, 1.3° M59 Messier 59, elliptical galaxy, 1.5° M60 Messier 60, elliptical galaxy, 1.5° NGC 4647, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.5° NGC 4568 Butterfly Galaxies, spiral galaxy, 1.6°
NGC 4608 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4608, 2MASX J12411328+1009208, MCG +02-32-177, PGC 042545, SDSS J124113.28+100920.3, UGC 07842 Type lenticular galaxy (S0) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 41.2m Declination (J2000) +10° 09′ Magnitude 11.0 Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.9′ × 2.5′ Position angle 25° True size 46,500 light-years Distance 56 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,805 km/s, redshift 0.00603 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4501 to 5000
