NGC 4461 is a lenticular galaxy in Virgo, 56 million light-years away
NGC 4461 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Virgo , 56 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.0 and spans 3.6′ × 1.2′ of sky, about 58,300 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 4461 from Denebola
Denebola
NGC 4461
VIRGO
NGC 4461 lies 9.8° east of Denebola , the magnitude 2.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 4461 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
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AUG
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -13° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -21° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 73° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -37° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -20° 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: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -45° 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: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 87° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -51° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 56° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -77° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -56° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -86° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -59° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 45° 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: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -83° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -59° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -73° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -63° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -51° 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 77°S, and never sets north of 77°N.
NGC 4461 is 56 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 4461 tonight left it about 56 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 4461
603 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 4458, elliptical galaxy, 4′ NGC 4473, elliptical galaxy, 18′ NGC 4435 Eyes Galaxies, lenticular galaxy, 21′ NGC 4438 Eyes Galaxies, early spiral galaxy, 22′ NGC 4479, lenticular galaxy, 30′ NGC 4477, lenticular galaxy, 31′ NGC 4425, lenticular galaxy, 38′ NGC 4402, spiral galaxy, 43′
NGC 4461 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 4461, 2MASX J12290301+1311018, MCG +02-32-084, PGC 041111, SDSS J122903.00+131101.7, UGC 07613 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 12h 29.1m Declination (J2000) +13° 11′ Magnitude 11.0 Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 3.6′ × 1.2′ Position angle 8° True size 58,300 light-years Distance 56 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,918 km/s, redshift 0.00641 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 4001 to 4500
