NGC 4138 is a lenticular galaxy in Canes Venatici, 51 million light-years away
NGC 4138 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici , 51 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.8 and spans 2.9′ × 1.6′ of sky, about 43,100 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 4138 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 4138
CANES VENATICI
NGC 4138 lies 10.3° south of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4138 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 85° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -6° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -0° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -18° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -36° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 36° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -67° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -75° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 0° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -72° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -84° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -63° 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 46°S, and never sets north of 46°N.
NGC 4138 is 51 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4138 tonight left it about 51 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4138
56 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4183, late spiral galaxy, 41′ NGC 4111, lenticular galaxy, 46′ NGC 4143, lenticular galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4051, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 4013, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.0° IC 750, early spiral galaxy, 2.2° IC 749, late spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4242, late spiral galaxy, 2.4°
NGC 4138 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Canes Venatici Designations NGC 4138, 2MASX J12092978+4341071, MCG +07-25-035, PGC 038643, UGC 07139 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 09.5m Declination (J2000) +43° 41′ Magnitude 11.8 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.9′ × 1.6′ Position angle 150° True size 43,100 light-years Distance 51 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 885 km/s, redshift 0.00295 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
