NGC 4939 is a spiral galaxy in Virgo, 132 million light-years away
NGC 4939 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 132 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.9 and spans 5.7′ × 2.3′ of sky, about 218,900 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 4939 from Spica
Spica
NGC 4939
VIRGO
NGC 4939 lies 5.2° west of Spica , the magnitude 1.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4939 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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DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -54° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -61° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -66° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -83° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -68° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 65° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -65° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -60° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 24° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -35° 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 southern hemisphere and north to about 80°N, and never sets south of 80°S.
NGC 4939 is 132 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4939 tonight left it about 132 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4939
146 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4933B, lenticular galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4928, spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 4790, barred spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 4958, lenticular galaxy, 2.4° NGC 4781, late spiral galaxy, 2.4° NGC 4818, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.6° NGC 4802, lenticular galaxy, 2.7° NGC 4760, elliptical galaxy, 2.7°
NGC 4939 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4939, 2MASX J13041438-1020225, IRAS 13016-1004, MCG -02-33-104, PGC 045170 Type spiral galaxy (Sbc) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 04.2m Declination (J2000) -10° 20′ Magnitude 11.9 (B 11.0) Surface brightness 23.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 5.7′ × 2.3′ Position angle 6° True size 218,900 light-years Distance 132 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 3,096 km/s, redshift 0.01038 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4501 to 5000
