NGC 4408 is an elliptical galaxy in Coma Berenices, 354 million light-years away
NGC 4408 (PGC 040668) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices , 354 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 37″ × 31″ of sky, about 63,900 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 4408 from Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli
NGC 4408
COMA BERENICES
NGC 4408 lies 12.2° southwest of Cor Caroli , the magnitude 2.9 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4408 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -8° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -0° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 64° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 78° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 88° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 82° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 34° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -33° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 72° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -41° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -24° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 49° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -48° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -72° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -55° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -82° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -60° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -87° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -62° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -78° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -61° 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 62°S, and never sets north of 62°N.
NGC 4408 is 354 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4408 tonight left it about 354 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4408
358 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4448, barred spiral galaxy, 52′ NGC 4495, early spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 4251, lenticular galaxy, 1.8° NGC 4283, elliptical galaxy, 1.9° NGC 4278, elliptical galaxy, 2.0° NGC 4559, late spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 4314, early spiral galaxy, 2.2° NGC 4274, barred spiral galaxy, 2.2°
NGC 4408 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Coma Berenices Designations NGC 4408, PGC 040668, 2MASX J12261724+2752158, SDSS J122617.24+275216.1, SDSS J122617.24+275216.2, SDSS J122617.25+275216.2 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 26.3m Declination (J2000) +27° 52′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 23.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 37″ × 31″ Position angle 36° True size 63,900 light-years Distance 354 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 7,427 km/s, redshift 0.02509 Best with Large telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
