NGC 4342 is a lenticular galaxy in Virgo, 63 million light-years away
NGC 4342 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 63 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.5 and spans 1.3′ × 38″ of sky, about 22,700 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 4342 from Porrima
Porrima
NGC 4342
VIRGO
NGC 4342 lies 9.6° northwest of Porrima , the magnitude 2.7 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4342 is highest in the evening in May
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 46° 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: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 67° 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: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -53° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 77° 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: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -48° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 86° 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: -73° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -53° 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°: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 28° 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°: -82° 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: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 26° 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: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 48° 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: -77° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -26° 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: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -67° 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: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -46° 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 83°S.
NGC 4342 is 63 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4342 tonight left it about 63 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4342
417 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4343, spiral galaxy, 6′ NGC 4365, elliptical galaxy, 20′ NGC 4339, elliptical galaxy, 58′ NGC 4416, late spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4430, spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 4260, barred spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 4434, elliptical galaxy, 1.5° NGC 4223, lenticular galaxy, 1.6°
NGC 4342 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4342, 2MASX J12233902+0703141, MCG +01-32-039, PGC 040252, SDSS J122339.00+070314.3, UGC 07466 Type lenticular galaxy (E-S0) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 23.7m Declination (J2000) +07° 03′ Magnitude 12.5 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.3′ × 38″ Position angle 165° True size 22,700 light-years Distance 63 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 455 km/s, redshift 0.00152 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
