NGC 4217 is a spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, 59 million light-years away
NGC 4217 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici , 59 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.2 and spans 5.4′ × 1.6′ of sky, about 93,000 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 4217 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 4217
CANES VENATICI
NGC 4217 lies 7.5° southeast of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4217 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 73° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 86° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -3° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 2° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 44° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 64° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 43° 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: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -53° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -51° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -72° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -64° 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 43°S, and never sets north of 43°N.
NGC 4217 is 59 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4217 tonight left it about 59 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4217
65 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4248, barred spiral galaxy, 28′ M106 Messier 106, spiral galaxy, 34′ NGC 4220, lenticular galaxy, 48′ NGC 4144, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4346, lenticular galaxy, 1.3° NGC 4242, late spiral galaxy, 1.5° NGC 4096, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4389, barred spiral galaxy, 2.2°
NGC 4217 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Canes Venatici Designations NGC 4217, 2MASX J12155089+4705304, MCG +08-22-087, PGC 039241, UGC 07282 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 15.8m Declination (J2000) +47° 06′ Magnitude 11.2 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.6 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 5.4′ × 1.6′ Position angle 50° True size 93,000 light-years Distance 59 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,023 km/s, redshift 0.00341 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
