Caldwell 36 — Galaxy in Coma Berenices
NGC 4559
About C36
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.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Medium+ | Medium | Medium |
| 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: Sloan Digital Sky Survey. License: CC BY 4.0. (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.
Explore Nightbase
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