NGC 4042 is an elliptical galaxy in Coma Berenices, 362 million light-years away
NGC 4042 (PGC 3781394) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 362 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 16.0 and spans 25″ × 19″ of sky, about 43,200 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 4042 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4042
COMA BERENICES
NGC 4042 lies 6.5° northeast of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4042 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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JUL
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SEP
OCT
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 0° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -48° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -66° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -77° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -52° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -26° 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: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -69° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -54° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -68° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -69° 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 70°S, and never sets north of 70°N.
NGC 4042 is 362 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4042 tonight left it about 362 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4042
156 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4057, elliptical galaxy, 19′ NGC 4032, irregular galaxy, 32′ NGC 4064, barred spiral galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4147, globular cluster, 2.4° NGC 3937, lenticular galaxy, 2.4° NGC 4204, barred spiral galaxy, 3.0° NGC 3884, early spiral galaxy, 3.9° NGC 3842, elliptical galaxy, 4.4°
NGC 4042 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 4042, PGC 3781394, 2MASX J12024674+2009478, SDSS J120246.76+200947.6, SDSS J120246.77+200947.7 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 02.8m Declination (J2000) +20° 10′ Magnitude 16.0 Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 25″ × 19″ Position angle 124° True size 43,200 light-years Distance 362 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 7,091 km/s, redshift 0.02394 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
