IC 4231 is a spiral galaxy in Hydra, 92 million light-years away
IC 4231 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Hydra , 92 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 2.1′ × 30″ of sky, about 54,900 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 IC 4231 from Naga
Naga
IC 4231
HYDRA
IC 4231 lies 3.3° south of Naga , the magnitude 3.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
IC 4231 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -54° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -63° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -48° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -73° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -70° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -79° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -74° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -45° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -72° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -66° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 74° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 70° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -22° 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 64°N, and never sets south of 64°S.
IC 4231 is 92 million light-years away
The light seen from IC 4231 tonight left it about 92 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of IC 4231
82 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5101, lenticular galaxy, 1.2° NGC 5061, elliptical galaxy, 1.3° NGC 5078, early spiral galaxy, 1.3° NGC 5085, late spiral galaxy, 2.0° NGC 5182, spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 5042, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.9° IC 4280, spiral galaxy, 3.0° NGC 5152, barred spiral galaxy, 3.5°
IC 4231 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Hydra Designations IC 4231, 2MASX J13231382-2617531, MCG -04-32-009, PGC 046768 Type spiral galaxy (Sbc) Right ascension (J2000) 13h 23.2m Declination (J2000) -26° 18′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.6 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.1′ × 30″ Position angle 34° True size 54,900 light-years Distance 92 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,251 km/s, redshift 0.00753 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page IC 4001 to 4500
