When is the best time to observe NGC 4857?

NGC 4857 is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 4857 located in the sky?

NGC 4857 lies in the constellation Draco at right ascension 12h 57m and declination +70° 12′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 4857?

At magnitude 14.0, NGC 4857 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 4857 — Galaxy in Draco

Galaxy Fair (38/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 14.0^m Galaxy Draco (Dra) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 14.0

Angular Size 1.1′ × 0.7′

Position Angle 118°

Distance 399.78 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (SABb)

Description

eF, vS, iR, vlbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 12h 57m 18.3s

Dec +70° 12' 12.2"

Constellation Draco (Dra)

Catalog NGC 4857

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	V. hard	V. hard	Imp.
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	V. hard+	V. hard	V. hard
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Hard	V. hard+	V. hard+

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Medium on Seestar S50

3Visibility

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Best season Feb – Apr (peak: Mar)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 4857 · 1.1′×0.7′ · N up, E left

5 Best Magnification

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6 Surface Brightness

7 Morphology Decoder

8 Inclination & True Shape

9 Redshift

10 Size Comparator

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11

Light Travel Time Machine

12

Relativistic Travel

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.

Galaxy mag 9.7 3.6° Draco

RY Dra

Easy

Mira-type variable, range 5.9–8.0

Variable Star mag 5.90 4.2° Draco

NGC 4589

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 4.3° Draco

NGC 4648

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 4.4° Draco

NGC 4319

Hard+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 5.7° Draco

10 Dra

Hard+

Cool red giant

Double Star mag 4.65 7.5° Draco

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