Silver Needle Galaxy (NGC 4244)

NGC 4244: Galaxy in Canes Venatici; 500 mm Cassegrain 5800mm f11.4; SBIG STL11K; 80-10-10-10 min LRGB; Bernese Highlands; © 2005 Radek Chromik

Object Description

The galaxy NGC 4244 was discovered on 17 March 1787 by the German-British astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm (William) Herschel with his 18.7 inch reflecting telescope. [277] This is a spiral galaxy, which we are looking at directly on the edge. It is at a distance of about 3.1 to 5.7 Mpc (10 to 18 million light years). [145] It belongs to the Canes Venatici I galaxy group, which also includes M 94, which is a subgroup of the Virgo galaxy cluster.

Revised+Historic NGC/IC, Version 22/9, © Dr. Wolfgang Steinicke [277]
DesignationNGC 4244
TypeGx (Sc)
Right Ascension12h 17m 29.9s
Declination+37° 48' 28"
Diameter16.6 × 1.9 arcmin
Photographic (blue) magnitude10.9 mag
Visual magnitude10.4 mag
Surface brightness14.0 mag·arcmin-2
Position Angle48°
Redshift0.000815
Distance derived from z3.44 Mpc
Metric Distance4.630 Mpc
Dreyer DescriptionpB, vL, eE 43°, vgbM
Identification, RemarksUGC 7322, MCG 6-27-45, CGCG 187-35, FGC 1402, IRAS 12150+3804

Finder Chart

The galaxy NGC 4244 is located in the constellation Canes Venatici. The best time to view this circumpolar constellation is February to July, when it is highest at night.

Chart Silver Needle Galaxy (NGC 4244)
Silver Needle Galaxy (NGC 4244) in constellation Canes Venatici. Charts created using SkySafari 6 Pro and STScI Digitized Sky Survey. Limiting magnitudes: Constellation chart ≈ 6.5 mag, DSS2 close-ups ≈ 20 mag. [149, 160]

Visual Observation

Description pending ...

More Objects Nearby (±15°)

References