NGC 4318 is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo, 70 million light-years away
NGC 4318 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 70 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.2 and spans 44″ × 30″ of sky, about 14,900 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 4318 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4318
VIRGO
NGC 4318 lies 10.4° southeast of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4318 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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JUL
AUG
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 38° 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: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -19° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -14° 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: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -18° 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: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 52° 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: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -52° 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: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 78° 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: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -24° 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: 87° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 29° 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: -58° 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°: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 82° 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°: -81° 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: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 72° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 53° 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: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -61° 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: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 19° 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: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -52° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -25° 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: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -58° 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 82°S.
NGC 4318 is 70 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4318 tonight left it about 70 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4318
503 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4307, barred spiral galaxy, 52′ NGC 4365, elliptical galaxy, 59′ NGC 4416, late spiral galaxy, 1.0° IC 3123, star, 1.1° NGC 4342, lenticular galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4434, elliptical galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4411B, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4343, spiral galaxy, 1.3°
NGC 4318 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4318, 2MASX J12224330+0811541, MCG +02-32-015, PGC 040122, SDSS J122243.28+081153.7, SDSS J122243.29+081153.7, SDSS J122243.29+081153.8, UGC 07446 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 22.7m Declination (J2000) +08° 12′ Magnitude 14.2 (B 14.0) Surface brightness 22.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 44″ × 30″ Position angle 65° True size 14,900 light-years Distance 70 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,200 km/s, redshift 0.00401 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
