Galaxy NGC 488

History
The galaxy NGC 488 was discovered on 13th December 1784 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel with his self-made 18.7 inch f/12.8 reflector telescope in Slough, England. On 6th December 1850, the engineer Bindon Stoney roamed the 72 inch reflector telescope in Birr Castle, Ireland «Leviathan» of his employer William Parsons, the 3rd Earl of Rosse this region of the starry sky and came across the small galaxies NGC 486, NGC 490, NGC 492 and NGC 500. [196, 277]
Physical Properties
The galaxy NGC 488 shows a redshift of z ≈ 0.0075, which corresponds to a distance of about 29.3 Mpc to 30.5 Mpc. NGC 490 shows a similar redshift of z ≈ 0.0074. NGC 486, NGC 492 and NGC 500 show a much higher redshift of z ≈ 0.04, which suggests a much greater distance. [145]
Name | RA | Dec | Type | bMag | vMag | B-V | SB | Dim | PA | z | D(z) | MD | Dreyer Description | Identification, Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NGC 486 | 01 21 43.0 | +05 20 47 | Gx (E0) | 16.0 | 15.0 | 1.0 | 11.6 | 0.2 × 0.2 | 0.047533 | 200.8 | eF, eS, stell, 5' n of h 103 | Gxy + star | ||
NGC 488 | 01 21 46.6 | +05 15 21 | Gx (Sb) | 11.2 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 13.4 | 5.4 × 3.9 | 15 | 0.007579 | 32.01 | 29.300 | pB, L, R, svmbM, * 8 f 10' | UGC 907, MCG 1-4-33, CGCG 411-33, IRAS 01191+0459 |
NGC 490 | 01 22 02.8 | +05 22 04 | Gx (S) | 15.2 | 14.4 | 0.8 | 13.3 | 0.7 × 0.6 | 9 | 0.007422 | 31.35 | vF, vS, R, 8' nf h 103 | MCG 1-4-35, CGCG 411-35, NPM1G +05.0055 | |
NGC 492 | 01 22 13.5 | +05 25 01 | Gx (SB?) | 16.4 | 15.6 | 0.8 | 14.5 | 0.7 × 0.6 | 120 | 0.047449 | 200.4 | eF, vS, R | MCG 1-4-38, CGCG 411-36 | |
NGC 500 | 01 22 39.3 | +05 23 16 | Gx (E-S0) | 15.2 | 14.2 | 1.0 | 13.5 | 0.8 × 0.6 | 102 | 0.041072 | 173.4 | vF, vS, mbM, * 11 nf 1' | MCG 1-4-40, CGCG 411-39, NPM1G +05.0056 |
Finder Chart
The galaxy is located in the constellation Pisces. The best time to observe is December to June, when it is highest at night.

Visual Observation
Description pending ...