Caldwell 26 — Galaxy in Canes Venatici
NGC 4244
About C26
Description
NGC 4244 is an edge-on spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, about 14 million light-years away. Known as the Silver Needle Galaxy, it appears as a very thin, elongated streak spanning about 16 arcminutes with no visible dust lane or central bulge.
Observing Tips
Requires dark skies due to its low surface brightness. Visible as a faint, thin streak in a 6-inch telescope. The lack of a bright core makes it harder than typical edge-on galaxies. Best in spring evenings.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on March 17, 1787. Its extremely thin profile and lack of a bulge classify it as a pure-disk (Scd) spiral galaxy.
Fun Facts
NGC 4244 is one of the flattest galaxies known, with virtually no central bulge. It is a member of the M94 galaxy group, one of the many galaxy groups in the Canes Venatici cloud.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Medium+ | Medium | Hard+ |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Medium+ |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
3Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
4
Eyepiece View
5
Best Magnification
Explore
6
Surface Brightness
7
Morphology Decoder
8
Inclination & True Shape
9
Redshift
10
Size Comparator
Discover
11
Light Travel Time Machine
12
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: Ole Nielsen. License: CC BY-SA 2.5. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
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