Menu

NGC 4945

Galaxy Excellent (65/100)

Barred Spiral

NGC 4945 Galaxy Cen Visible Level 5 Expert level - Dark skies recommended
Star Map
Add to List Add to Plan Back to Catalog

Properties

Magnitude 9.0
Angular Size 23.3′ × 4.0′
Position Angle 44°
Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (SBc)
B, vL, vmE 39deg

Position & Identifiers

RA 13h 05m 24.0s
Dec -49° 28' 00.0"
Constellation Cen
Catalog NGC 4945

Visibility

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Eyepiece View

48x TFOV: 1.0° Lim. mag: 14.2
N E

NGC 4945 · 23.3′×4.0′ · N up, E left

Surface Brightness & Visibility

Morphology Decoder

Redshift

Survey Image

Loading survey image…

About NGC 4945

Description

NGC 4945 is a bright, edge-on barred spiral galaxy in Centaurus, about 11.7 million light-years away. It is one of the brightest galaxies in the Centaurus A/M83 galaxy group and hosts a Seyfert 2 active nucleus obscured by heavy dust absorption.

Observing Tips

Visible as a bright, elongated streak in a 6-inch telescope. The thick dust lane makes the profile appear asymmetric. Located near Centaurus A (C77). Best from southern latitudes in spring and summer evenings.

History

Discovered by James Dunlop on April 30, 1826 from Australia. X-ray and infrared observations have revealed the hidden active galactic nucleus behind the galaxy's dust-choked central region.

Fun Facts

NGC 4945's central supermassive black hole is accreting matter and producing powerful water maser emission — one of the strongest extragalactic maser sources known, visible at radio wavelengths.