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NGC 4559

Galaxy Excellent (64/100)

Spiral

NGC 4559 Galaxy Com Visible Level 4 Large telescope (10"+) - Dark skies recommended
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Properties

Magnitude 9.9
Angular Size 10.6′ × 4.8′
Position Angle 148°
Galaxy Type Spiral (SABcd)
vB, vL, mE 150deg , gbM, 3 st f

Position & Identifiers

RA 12h 35m 60.0s
Dec +27° 58' 00.0"
Constellation Com
Catalog NGC 4559

Visibility

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Eyepiece View

80x TFOV: 0.6° Lim. mag: 14.2
N E

NGC 4559 · 10.6′×4.8′ · N up, E left

Surface Brightness & Visibility

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About NGC 4559

Description

NGC 4559 is a barred spiral galaxy in Coma Berenices, about 29 million light-years away. It is a loose, patchy spiral with numerous HII star-forming regions and appears roughly 10 arcminutes long with low surface brightness.

Observing Tips

Visible as a faint, elongated glow in a 6-inch telescope. Dark skies are important for this low-surface-brightness galaxy. Best viewed in spring evenings at low to medium magnification.

History

Discovered by William Herschel on April 11, 1785. X-ray observations have revealed an ultraluminous X-ray source in this galaxy that may be an intermediate-mass black hole.

Fun Facts

NGC 4559 contains an unusually large number of bright HII regions for its size, indicating vigorous ongoing star formation.