NGC 4279 is a lenticular galaxy in Virgo, 205 million light-years away
NGC 4279 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 205 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 1.2′ × 43″ of sky, about 69,700 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 4279 from Gienah
Gienah
NGC 4279
VIRGO
NGC 4279 lies 6.0° north of Gienah , the magnitude 2.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 4279 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -36° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -43° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -49° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -71° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -81° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -57° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -86° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -57° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -55° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 64° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 87° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -44° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 34° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -38° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -30° 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 78°N, and never sets south of 78°S.
NGC 4279 is 205 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4279 tonight left it about 205 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4279
28 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4129, barred spiral galaxy, 3.9° NGC 4487, late spiral galaxy, 4.5° NGC 4094, late spiral galaxy, 4.5° M104 Sombrero Galaxy, early spiral galaxy, 4.8° NGC 4504, mixed spiral galaxy, 5.0°
NGC 4279 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4279, 2MASX J12202503-1139593, MCG -02-32-003, PGC 039812 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 20.4m Declination (J2000) -11° 40′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 23.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 43″ Position angle 26° True size 69,700 light-years Distance 205 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,344 km/s, redshift 0.01459 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
