NGC 4307 is a barred spiral galaxy in Virgo, 53 million light-years away
NGC 4307 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 53 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.0 and spans 3.4′ × 49″ of sky, about 52,600 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 4307 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4307
VIRGO
NGC 4307 lies 9.8° southeast of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4307 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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SEP
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 79° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 0° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 88° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -71° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -26° 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°: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 56° 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°: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -80° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -56° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -86° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -57° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -47° 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 81°S.
NGC 4307 is 53 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4307 tonight left it about 53 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4307
558 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
IC 3318, star, 1.2° NGC 4411B, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4380, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.3° NGC 4417, lenticular galaxy, 1.3° NGC 4424, early spiral galaxy, 1.3° IC 3123, star, 1.3° NGC 4416, late spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 4434, elliptical galaxy, 1.6°
NGC 4307 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4307, 2MASX J12220562+0902367, IRAS 12195+0919, MCG +02-32-012a, PGC 040033, SDSS J122205.68+090237.0, UGC 07431 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBb) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 22.1m Declination (J2000) +09° 03′ Magnitude 12.0 Surface brightness 23.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 3.4′ × 49″ Position angle 24° True size 52,600 light-years Distance 53 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 982 km/s, redshift 0.00328 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
