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Page last updated Apr 11, 2022
(Working on NGC 4548)
Page last prior update Jan 18, 2021
Updated and completed entry for NGC 4535
Checked Corwin positions
WORKING 4521: Remove title tags
WORKING 4537: Add historical discussion ASAP
WORKING: Add historical/physical data
NGC 4500 (= PGC 41436)
Discovered (Apr 17, 1789) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(s)a) in Ursa Major (RA 12 31 22.2, Dec +57 57 53)
Apparent size 1.5 by 1.0 arcmin. Listed as a starburst galaxy.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4500 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4501 (= PGC 41517 = M88)
Discovered (Mar 18, 1781) by Charles Messier and recorded as M88
Also observed (Apr 1, 1826) by John Herschel
A magnitude 9.6 spiral galaxy (type SA(rs)b?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 31 59.2, Dec +14 25 14)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 4501 (= GC 3049 = JH 1312, M88, 1860 RA 12 24 55, NPD 74 48.2) is "bright, very large, very much extended". The position precesses to RA 12 31 59.2, Dec +14 25 23, nearly dead center on the galaxy listed above and the description fits, so the identification is certain.
Physical Information: Listed as a member (VCC 1401) of the Virgo Cluster. Although in Coma Berenices, M88 is one of fifteen Messier objects that are members of the Virgo Cluster of galaxies, the nearest major cluster to our galaxy. It is about 60 million light years away, and over 100 thousand light years across. (Apparent size 6.8 by 3.7 arcmin.) A Seyfert galaxy (type Sy 2).
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 4501 Below, a ? arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit Jim Quinn/Adam Block/AURA/NSF/NOAO)
NGC 4502 (= PGC 41531)
Discovered (Mar 21, 1784) by William Herschel
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sd?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 32 03.2, Dec +16 41 14)
Apparent size 1.3 by 0.65 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1410) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4502 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4503 (= PGC 41538)
Discovered (Mar 15, 1784) by William Herschel
An 11th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SB0-?) in Virgo (RA 12 32 06.2, Dec +11 10 35)
Apparent size 4.5 by 1.9 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1412) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 4.8 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4503 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing IC 3470
NGC 4504 (= PGC 41555)
Discovered (Mar 20, 1789) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SA(s)cd) in Virgo (RA 12 32 17.4, Dec -07 33 49)
Apparent size 6.2 by 2.7 arcmin.
Above, a 6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4504 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4505 (probably = NGC 4496 = PGC 41471)
Discovered (Feb 23, 1784) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4496)
Discovered (Mar 11, 1784) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4505)
An 11th-magnitude irregular galaxy (type IB(rs)m pec?) in Virgo (RA 12 31 39.3, Dec +03 56 23)
(This entry will probably contain only historical information; see NGC 4496 for anything else.)
NGC 4506 (= PGC 41546)
Discovered (Jan 14, 1787) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sa pec?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 32 10.5, Dec +13 25 11)
Apparent size 2.1 by 1.4 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1419) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4506 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4507 (= PGC 41960)
Discovered (Jun 5, 1834) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R')SAB(rs)b) in Centaurus (RA 12 35 36.6, Dec -39 54 33)
Apparent size 1.5 by 1.4 arcmin. Listed as a Seyfert galaxy (type Sy 1h).
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4507 (with glare from 6th magnitude HD 109573) Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4508
Recorded (Apr 19, 1830) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude double star in Virgo (RA 12 32 17.4, Dec +05 49 10)
Per Dreyer, NGC 4508 (GC 3058 = JH 1317, 1860 RA 12 25 10, NPD 83 24.0) is "very small, round, suddenly brighter middle like a 13th-magnitude star". The position precesses to RA 12 32 17.7, Dec +05 49 35, just north of the double star listed above, so the identification is certain, and the object is not just "like a 13th-magnitude star", but actually is one.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on NGC 4508
NGC 4509 (= PGC 41660)
Discovered (Mar 11, 1828) by John Herschel
A 14th-magnitude irregular galaxy (type IBm?) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 33 06.8, Dec +32 05 32)
Apparent size 0.85 by 0.55 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4509 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4510 (= PGC 41489)
Discovered (Sep 9, 1866) by Heinrich d'Arrest
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a pec?) in Draco (RA 12 31 47.2, Dec +64 14 02)
Apparent size 1.5 by 0.95 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4510 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4511 (= PGC 41560)
Discovered (Mar 17, 1790) by William Herschel
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs)bc?) in Ursa Major (RA 12 32 08.1, Dec +56 28 16)
Apparent size 1.2 by 0.6 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4511 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4512 (= NGC 4521 = PGC 41621)
Discovered (Mar 20, 1790) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4521)
Discovered (Apr 3, 1832) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4512)
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a) in Draco (RA 12 32 47.7, Dec +63 56 21)
Apparent size 2.7 by 0.7 arcmin. (Historical information will be added in the next iteration of this page; for now, the most important thing is that NGC 4512 is almost certainly the same as NGC 4521, and is definitely not PGC 41601, which is sometimes misidentified as NGC 4512.)
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4512 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing PGC 41601
PGC 41601 (not = NGC 4512)
Not an NGC object but listed here since sometimes misidentified as NGC 4512
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBcd?) in Draco (RA 12 32 33.9, Dec +63 52 39)
Apparent size 2.0 by 1.4 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41601 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing NGC 4512
NGC 4513 (= PGC 41527)
Discovered (Oct 16, 1866) by Heinrich d'Arrest
A 13th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type (R)SA0°) in Draco (RA 12 32 01.5, Dec +66 19 57)
Apparent size 2.8 by 1.7 arcmin (including the outer ring).
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4513 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy (also note ring galaxy PGC 41524
PGC 41524
Not an NGC object but listed here since an unusual object near NGC 4513
A 16th-magnitude ring galaxy (type (R)) in Draco (RA 12 32 04.9, Dec +66 24 10)
PGC 41524's recessional velocity of 14490 km/sec places it (taking the Universal expansion into account) around 640 million light years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 655 million years ago (the difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of 0.5 by 0.4 arcmin, its ring was about 95 thousand light years across at that time. The galaxy's appearance is undoubtedly the result of a collision with another galaxy that passed directly through its nucleus and carried it off (though which galaxy is unknown, as none of those apparently near it appear to be good candidates for such a collision). The collision caused a shock wave passing radially outward through the remaining part of the galaxy, compressing clouds of gas and dust to form a circular ring of hot, bright new stars, which were lighting up the ring that we see at the moment in time currently viewed from our location. As the shock wave continued to expand, the ring expanded with it, new hot bright stars replacing the rapidly aging and dying stars that emitted the light we now see; but since such stars typically last only a few millions or tens of millions of years, all the stars in the ring currently seen have been dead for more than 600 million years. (There are also undoubtedly a much greater number of fainter stars, such as Sunlike stars, that would have formed at the same time, and will still be shining ten billion years or more from now, but they are too faint to see at such vast distances.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41524; also see the top of the wide-field image of NGC 4513
NGC 4514 (= PGC 41610)
Discovered (Mar 13, 1785) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sbc?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 32 43.0, Dec +29 42 45)
Apparent size 1.3 by 1.3 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4514 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4515 (= PGC 41652)
Discovered (Mar 21, 1784) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0-?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 33 05.0, Dec +16 15 56)
Apparent size 1.8 by 1.3 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1475) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4515 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4516 (= PGC 41661)
Discovered (Apr 8, 1784) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)ab?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 33 07.5, Dec +14 34 30)
Apparent size 2.2 by 1.2 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1479) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4516 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4517 (= PGC 41618 = NGC 4437)
Discovered (Feb 22, 1784) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4517)
Discovered (Apr 14, 1828) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4437)
A 10th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SA(s)cd?) in Virgo (RA 12 32 45.6, Dec +00 06 54)
(See NGC 4437 for a discussion of the duplicate listing.) Apparent size 11 by 1.5 arcmin.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4517 Below, a 20 arcmin region centered on the galaxy
PGC 41578 (= "NGC 4517A")
Not an NGC object but sometimes called NGC 4517A since in general region of NGC 4517
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)dm?) in Virgo (RA 12 32 28.2, Dec +00 23 23)
Apparent size 4.0 by 2.6 arcmin.
Above, a 4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41578 Below, a 12 arcmin region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4518 (= PGC 41674)
Discovered (Dec 27, 1827) by John Herschel
A 14th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SB02/3(r)/a) in Virgo (RA 12 33 11.8, Dec +07 51 06)
Apparent size 1.35 by 0.65 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1484) of the Virgo Cluster, but not an actual member, as much further away.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4518, also showing part of PGC 41666 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
PGC 41666 (= "NGC 4518B")
Not an NGC object but sometimes called NGC 4518B since near NGC 4518
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb(r)?) in Virgo (RA 12 33 10.5, Dec +07 50 03)
Apparent size 0.85 by 0.25 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1480) of the Virgo Cluster, but not an actual member, as much further away.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41666, also showing NGC 4518 (which see for a wider image)
NGC 4519 (= PGC 41719)
Discovered (Apr 15, 1784) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)d) in Virgo (RA 12 33 30.3, Dec +08 39 17)
Apparent size 3.4 by 2.1 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1508) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4519 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing PGC 41706
PGC 41706 (= "NGC 4519A")
Not an NGC object but sometimes called NGC 4519A since near NGC 4519
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sd?) in Virgo (RA 12 33 24.7, Dec +08 41 27)
Apparent size 0.7 by 0.3 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1501) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41706, also showing NGC 4519 (which see for a wider image)
NGC 4520 (= PGC 41748 = IC 799)
Discovered (Mar 23, 1789) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4520)
Discovered (Apr 21, 1889) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as IC 799)
A 14th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SA0- pec?) in Virgo (RA 12 33 49.9, Dec -07 22 32)
Apparent size 1.1 by 0.5 arcmin. Herschel's position precedes the galaxy, while Swift's follows it, leading Swift to feel he found a new object; hence the duplicate listing. Per Corwin, the stars involved with the image probably confused the issue; but there is no doubt that the two listings refer to the same object (more to follow in the next iteration of this page).
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4520 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
Corwin lists an apparent companion (PGC 1019916) at RA 12 33 50.7, Dec -07 23 01
NGC 4521 (= PGC 41621 = NGC 4512)
Discovered (Mar 20, 1790) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4521)
Discovered (Apr 3, 1832) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4512)
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a) in Draco (RA 12 32 47.7, Dec +63 56 21)
(This entry will probably contain only historical information; for anything else see NGC 4512.)
NGC 4522 (= PGC 41729)
Discovered (Jan 18, 1828) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(s)cd pec?) in Virgo (RA 12 33 39.7, Dec +09 10 30)
Apparent size 3.8 by 1.0 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1516) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 3.6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4522 Below, a detail of the galaxy (Image Credits: ESA/NASA)
Below, a more detailed view of the same image
Below, a 12 arcmin region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4523 (= PGC 41746)
Discovered (Apr 19, 1865) by Heinrich d'Arrest
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(s)m?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 33 48.0, Dec +15 10 06)
Apparent size 2.4 by 2.2 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1524) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4523 Below, a 12 arcmin region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4524 (= PGC 41757)
Discovered (Mar 9, 1828) by John Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(r)bc) in Corvus (RA 12 33 54.4, Dec -12 01 39)
Apparent size 1.3 by 0.7 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4524 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4525 (= PGC 41755)
Discovered (Mar 13, 1785) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SABcd?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 33 51.1, Dec +30 16 39)
Apparent size 2.9 by 1.5 arcmin.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4525 Below, a 12 arcmin region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4526 (= NGC 4560 = PGC 41772)
Discovered (Apr 13, 1784) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4526)
Discovered (Dec 28, 1785) by William Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4560)
A 9th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SAB0°?(s)) in Virgo (RA 12 34 03.0, Dec +07 41 58)
Apparent size 8.2 by 2.6 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1535) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, an 8 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4526 Below, a 16 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4527 (= PGC 41789)
Discovered (Feb 23, 1784) by William Herschel
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(s)bc) in Virgo (RA 12 34 08.4, Dec +02 39 14)
Apparent size 6.2 by 2.4 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1540) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4527 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4528 (= PGC 41781)
Discovered (Mar 15, 1784) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0°?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 06.1, Dec +11 19 17)
Apparent size 1.8 by 1.1 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1537) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4528 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4529
Recorded (Mar 12, 1784) by William Herschel
Probably a lost or nonexistent object in Coma Berenices (RA 12 34 02.8, Dec +20 31 44)
Per Dreyer, NGC 4529 (GC 3078 = WH III 26, 1860 RA 12 27 02, NPD 68 41.9) is "extremely faint, large". The position precesses to RA 12 34 02.8, Dec +20 31 44 (whence the position above), but there is nothing there. Per Corwin, Herschel made two observations of III 26, neither of which are near any galaxy he could have seen. To make matters even more uncertain, Herschel's notes state that he could neither convince himself that he had seen something, nor that he hadn't. The brightest object within a considerable distance is PGC 41639, so Corwin supposes that is the best guess as to what Herschel saw; but since a guess is all that it can be, it is probably best to list NGC 4529 as lost or nonexistent.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on Dreyer's position for NGC 4529
PGC 41639 (= NGC 4529??)
Listed here since often (but very uncertainly) identified as NGC 4529
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Scd?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 32 51.6, Dec +20 11 01)
As noted in the entry for NGC 4529, that object is probably lost or nonexistent; but PGC 41639 is often listed as the NGC object, albeit (usually) with a warning about how uncertain the identification is. Apparent size 2.0 by 0.35 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41639 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
PGC 41463 (= NGC 4529???)
A ?-magnitude spiral galaxy (type S?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 31 42.4, Dec +20 28 54)
To be discussed in the next iteration of this page. Listed as NGC 4529 in Wikisky, but apparently not anywhere else (though Corwin lists it as a dubious possibility).
NGC 4530 (= β Canum Venaticorum)
Recorded (July, 1828) by John Herschel
A 4th magnitude star in Canes Venatici (RA 12 33 44.5, Dec +41 21 27)
Per Dreyer, NGC 4530 (GC 3079 = JH 1332, 1860 RA 12 27 03, NPD 47 52.8) is a "nebulous star 4th magnitude, extremely questionable (8 Canum Venaticorum)". Given the identification in its description as 8 (= β) Canum Venaticorum, the identity of the object is certain regardless of how accurate the position might be; but as noted by Dreyer, whether there is any nebulosity was considered very uncertain right from the start, and save for the glare of the star there is no evidence for anything of "nebulous" character.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on NGC 4530 (the artifacts are typical of SDSS images of bright stars)
NGC 4531 (= PGC 41806)
Discovered (Apr 17, 1784) by William Herschel
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB0/a?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 15.9, Dec +13 04 31)
Apparent size 3.1 by 2.0 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1552) of the Virgo Cluster. A Seyfert galaxy?
Above, a 3.6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4531 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4532 (= PGC 41811)
Discovered (Apr 13, 1784) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude irregular galaxy (type IBm?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 19.5, Dec +06 27 54)
Apparent size 2.9 by 1.0 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1554) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4532 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4533 (= PGC 41816)
Discovered (1877) by Wilhelm Tempel (I-45)
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAd?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 22.0, Dec +02 19 33)
Apparent size 2.1 by 0.5 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1557) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4533 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4534 (= PGC 41779)
Discovered (May 1, 1785) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SA(s)dm?) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 34 05.5, Dec +35 31 06)
Apparent size 2.9 by 2.2 arcmin.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4534 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4535 (= PGC 41812 = CGCG 042-159)
Discovered (Dec 28, 1785) by William Herschel
Also observed (1899 or 1900) by Arnold Schwassmann
A magnitude 10.0 spiral galaxy (type SAB(s)c) in Virgo (RA 12 34 20.3, Dec +08 11 53)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 4535 (GC 3080 = WH II 500, 1860 RA 12 27 15, NPD 81 01.7) is "pretty faint, very large, mottled but not resolved." The second IC adds "Large spiral nebula, 8 points measured by Schwassmann." The position precesses to RA 12 34 21.5, Dec +08 11 57, right on the galaxy, the description fits (it has such a low surface brightness that it has been referred to as "The Lost Galaxy") and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification is certain.
Discovery Note: Schwassmann's observations were carried out during a survey of 301 members of the Virgo Cluster, most of which were first observed during that survey, and were later included in the second Index Catalog (IC2).
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 2300 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 4535 is about 105 to 110 million light years away, somewhat beyond redshift-independent distance estimates of about 30 to 90 million light years, and much further than numerous distance estimates based on its Cepheid variables of about 45 to 55 million light years. Using the HST press release distance of 50 million light years and its apparent size of about 5.95 by 4.65 arcmin for the main galaxy and about 7.3 by 7.1 arcmin for its extensive outer arms (from the images below), the galaxy is about 85 to 90 thousand light years across, and its fainter outer regions span about 105 thousand light years. If it is really more than twice that distance then the main galaxy would be about 185 thousand light years across, and its outer regions would span about 225 to 230 thousand light years, which would make it far larger than most similar galaxies. Even ignoring the uncertainty in its distance, it is considered to be one of the largest galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. As implied by the previous sentence, NGC 4535 is listed as a member (VCC 1555) of the Virgo Cluster, but its recessional velocity suggests that it is either on the far reaches of the Cluster, or (more likely) has an exceptionally large peculiar velocity (that is, a motion relative to its neighbors that has nothing to do with the overall expansion of the Universe) that is carrying it away from us and its neighbors at more than a thousand km/sec. Among other things it is distinguished by having an active nucleus with unusually strong emission lines.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 4535, also showing PGC 1343342 Below, an 8 arcmin wide SDSS image of the galaxy
Below, an overexposed version of the image above more clearly shows the faint outer arms
Below, a 6.75 arcmin wide image of the galaxy (Image Credit ESO)
Below, a 3.25 arcmin wide image of the central portion of the galaxy (Image Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team)
Below, a 1.6 by 2.4 arcmin wide image of the central bar and inner arms (Image Credit as above)
PGC 1343342 (= "NGC 4535A")
Not an NGC object but sometimes called NGC 4535A since near NGC 4535
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 13.9, Dec +08 16 25)
Apparent size 0.6 by 0.25 arcmin. (Note: Although apparently a nearby companion, PGC 1343342 is much further away than NGC 4535, so it is merely an optical double.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 1343342; for a wide-field view see NGC 4535
NGC 4536 (= PGC 41823, and not = IC 3556)
Discovered (Jan 24, 1784) by William Herschel
An 11th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs)bc) in Virgo (RA 12 34 27.0, Dec +02 11 17)
Apparent size 7.4 by 2.9 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1562) of the Virgo Cluster. (Per Corwin, there is a careless mistake in the UGC which equates NGC 4536 and IC 3556; this will be dealt with in the next iteration of this page, but is the reason for the disclaimer in the title for this entry.)
Above, a 7 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4536 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4537 (probably = NGC 4542 = PGC 41864)
Discovered (Feb 17, 1831) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4542)
Discovered (Mar 16, 1884) by Lewis Swift (1-22) (and later listed as NGC 4537)
A 14th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 34 48.9, Dec +50 48 19)
(This entry will only contain historical information; for anything else see NGC 4542. For now, suffice it to say that NGC 4537 is almost certainly a duplicate entry for NGC 4542, and is not PGC 41848 or PGC 41909.)
PGC 41848 (not = NGC 4537)
Not an NGC object but listed here for reasons to be discussed in the entry for NGC 4537
A 15th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 34 29.8, Dec +50 40 17)
Apparent size 0.75 by 0.45 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41848 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
PGC 41909 (not = NGC 4537)
Not an NGC object but listed here since sometimes misidentified as NGC 4537
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R)SBab) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 34 59.3, Dec +50 51 05)
PGC 41909 is a good example of the problems caused by misidentification of celestial objects, and the resulting misattribution of physical data. Aside from its often being misidentified as NGC 4537 (which see for more about that), its PGC designation was mis-assigned to yet another object (namely quasi-stellar object SDSS J123503.39+505049.1, about 40 arcsec to its east) in a catalog of isolated galaxies. Because of this, the redshift and corresponding recessional velocity of the QSO were listed as those of PGC 41909 in one of the most-frequently-referenced databases of extragalactic objects, and from there the incorrect data may have spread to any number of other websites and/or databases. To see the effect of that mistake, my original post for this object follows:
"Based on a recessional velocity of 67960 km/sec, a straightforward calculation indicates that PGC 41909 is about 3160 million light years away. However, for objects at this distance we should take into account the Universal expansion during the time it took their light to reach us. Doing that shows that the galaxy was about 2460 million light years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 2720 million years ago (the 260 million year difference between the two numbers being due to the expansion of the intervening space during the light-travel time). Given that and its apparent size of 0.85 by 0.5 arcmin, PGC 41909 is about 600 thousand light years across. This is an exceptional size even for a giant galaxy, and makes me wonder whether the historical problems with the identification (and/or misidentification) of galaxies in this region led to the recessional velocity for a different galaxy being incorrectly assigned to this one. Supporting this idea is type Ia Supernova 2009do, which appeared to take place in this galaxy but had a redshift z of only 0.043, corresponding to a recessional velocity of 12900 km/sec, a distance of about 570 million light years, a light-travel time of about 585 million years, and a physical size of about 140 thousand light years. Since these smaller numbers are more typical of objects such as PGC 41909, the higher recessional velocity almost certainly belongs to a different object."
In other words, anyone using the wrong (much larger) recessional velocity would have thought that this was a much larger, far more distant object than it is, and if the error were not noticed, might spread still more misinformation about the galaxy across the Internet. In this case the problem was noticed and (at least in the one database) soon corrected. But any database that still contains the incorrect redshift will yield conclusions about the characteristics of PGC 41909 that are completely wrong. This is not an isolated example. There are misidentifications of objects in almost every database, either as a result of early or later errors in attribution, or of more innocent blunders such as typographical errors. Every such misidentification can lead to misattribution of its or some other object's properties, and incorrect conclusions similar to those noted above. (It is this sort of thing that makes efforts to properly identify celestial objects sufficiently important to justify the years of effort involved in pursuing such projects.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of PGC 41909; for a wider view see NGC 4542 (Also shown is the QSO SDSS J123503.39+505049.1, whose recessional velocity was mis-assigned to PGC 41909)
SDSS J123503.39+505049.2
Not an NGC object but listed here since mentioned in the entry for PGC 41909
A 19th-magnitude quasi-stellar object (type QS02) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 35 03.4, Dec +50 50 49)
A quasi-stellar object whose approximate recessional velocity was mistakenly assigned to PGC 41909 (which see for images) in a catalog of isolated galaxies, as discussed in the entry for that galaxy. Based on its recessional velocity of 68030 km/sec, SDSS J123503.39+505049.2 was (taking the Universal expansion into account) about 2460 million light years away at the time the light by which we see it was emitted, about 2720 million years ago. Given that and its apparent size of 0.2 by 0.15 arcmin, the QSO is about 145 thousand light years across.
NGC 4538 (= PGC 41850)
Discovered (Mar 22, 1865) by Albert Marth (242)
A 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb pec?) in Virgo (RA 12 34 40.9, Dec +03 19 25)
Apparent size 0.75 by 0.4 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1576) of the Virgo Cluster, but not actually a member, since much further away.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4538 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4539 (= PGC 41839)
Discovered (Mar 17, 1831) by John Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(s)a?) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 34 34.8, Dec +18 12 10)
Apparent size 3.1 by 1.2 arcmin.
Above, a 3.6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4539 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4540 (= PGC 41876)
Discovered (Mar 21, 1784) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SAB(rs)cd) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 34 50.8, Dec +15 33 05)
Apparent size 2.5 by 2.2 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1588) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 3 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4540 and IC 3528 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on NGC 4540, also showing IC 3519 and 3528
NGC 4541 (= PGC 41911)
Discovered (Jan 1, 1786) by William Herschel
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type (R')SAB(r)bc?) in Virgo (RA 12 35 10.7, Dec -00 13 16)
Apparent size 1.7 by 0.7 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4541 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4542 (= PGC 41864 = NGC 4537)
Discovered (Feb 17, 1831) by John Herschel (and later listed as NGC 4542)
Discovered (Mar 16, 1884) by Lewis Swift (and later listed as NGC 4537)
A 14th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type S0/a?) in Canes Venatici (RA 12 34 48.9, Dec +50 48 19)
Apparent size 1.5 by 0.85 arcmin. (The duplicate listing will be discussed at the entry for NGC 4537.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4542 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing PGC 41909
NGC 4543 (= PGC 41923)
Discovered (Dec 27, 1827) by John Herschel
A 14th-magnitude elliptical galaxy (type E2?) in Virgo (RA 12 35 20.2, Dec +06 06 54)
Apparent size 1.1 by 0.85 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1608) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4543 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4544 (= PGC 41958)
Discovered (Apr 27, 1887) by Edward Swift (6-45)
A 13th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SBa?) in Virgo (RA 12 35 36.6, Dec +03 02 04)
Apparent size 2.1 by 0.7 arcmin. Listed as a member (VCC 1624) of the Virgo Cluster.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4544 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4545 (= PGC 41838)
Discovered (Mar 20, 1790) by William Herschel
A 12th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type SB(s)cd?) in Draco (RA 12 34 34.1, Dec +63 31 30)
Apparent size 2.25 by 1.35 arcmin.
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4545 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4546 (= PGC 41939)
Discovered (Dec 29, 1786) by William Herschel
A 10th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type SB0-(s)?) in Virgo (RA 12 35 29.5, Dec -03 47 35)
Apparent size 3.4 by 1.7 arcmin. (Note: Hidden within this image is the remnant of a compact galaxy which is only visible in more detailed, less overexposed images, such as posted in the Hubble Legacy Archive image database.)
Above, a 3.6 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4546 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy
NGC 4547 (= PGC 41896)
Discovered (Apr 17, 1789) by William Herschel
A 15th-magnitude lenticular galaxy (type E/S0?) in Ursa Major (RA 12 34 51.8, Dec +58 55 00)
Apparent size 1.4 by 0.9 arcmin. (There is considerable confusion about the identification of NGC 4547 and 4549, which will be dealt with in the next iteration of this page (e.g., PGC 41896 is not listed as anything of interest in Wikisky, while its apparent companion (as noted below) is misidentified as NGC 4549). For this iteration I am adopting Corwin's conclusions, which seem to have received more general acceptance than any earlier effort to identify the objects.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4547 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing NGC 4549
Corwin lists an apparent companion (PGC 41897) of NGC 4547 at RA 12 34 54.7, Dec +58 54 45 (mislabeled as NGC 4549 in Wikisky)
NGC 4548 (= M91)
(= PGC 41934 = PGC 3096162 = UGC 7753 = CGCG 099-096 = MCG +03-32-075)
Discovered (Mar 18, 1781) by Charles Messier and listed as M91, but "lost" for centuries
Discovered (Apr 8, 1784) by William Herschel
Also observed (Apr 3, 1826) by John Herschel
A magnitude 10.2 spiral galaxy (type SB(rs)b) in Coma Berenices (RA 12 35 26.4, Dec +14 29 47)
Historical Identification: Per Dreyer, NGC 4548 (= GC 3093 = JH 1345 = WH II 120, 1860 RA 12 28 23, NPD 74 43.8) is "bright, large, a little extended, a little brighter middle". The position precesses to RA 12 35 26.4, Dec +14 29 53, nearly dead-center on the galaxy listed above, the description fits and there is nothing else nearby, so the identification as NGC 4548 is certain. The identification as M91, however, was far more difficult, as discussed in the following paragraph.
Discovery Notes: Although Messier discovered this galaxy in 1781, his measurement of its position was based on its position relative to M89, but he mistakenly thought the comparison was with M58. As a result there is nothing at the position calculated by Messier, and M91 was thought to be lost, an ephemeral object (such as a comet) or nonexistent for nearly two centuries. It wasn't until 1969 that amateur astronomer William C. Williams realized that M91 would be identical to NGC 4548 if Messier made the mistaken comparison just noted. (Explanation per SEDS.)
Physical Information: Based on a recessional velocity relative to the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation of 810 km/sec (and H0 = 70 km/sec/Mpc), NGC 4548 (M91) is about 35 to 40 million light-years away, in reasonable agreement with redshift-independent distance estimates of about 35 to 70 million light-years. Obviously there is considerable uncertainty for redshift-independent distance estimates, and the galaxy's unknown peculiar velocity (its random motion relative to its neighbors) means that its Hubble Flow distance is also uncertain. The latest HST press release uses a distance of about 55 million light-years, but that is simply the distance to the center of the Virgo Cluster, which this galaxy is a member of (VCC 1615), and it could be near the center, near the near boundary of the cluster, or near the far boundary, which means anywhere from about 35 to 75 million light-years from the Sun. Given that uncertainty in its distance and its apparent size of about 5.6 by 4.3 arcmin (from the images below), if it is near the distance indicated by its recessional velocity NGC 4548 is about 60 to 65 thousand light-years across, while if it is nearer the center of the Virgo Cluster it is about 90 thousand light-years across (and of course it is even larger if near the far end of the Cluster).
NGC 4548 is classified as a Seyfert galaxy (type Sy3), and its rapid star formation rate (evidenced by numerous knots representing young clusters full of hot, bright stars) is heating up interstellar gases which give off strong emission lines, making it a LINER galaxy. Despite that, it is considered a somewhat anemic star-producing galaxy compared to some of its neighbors.
Use By The deVaucouleurs Atlas: NGC 4548 is used by The deVaucouleurs Atlas of Galaxies as an example of type SB(rs)b.
Above, a 12 arcmin wide SDSS image centered on NGC 4548 Below, a 6 arcmin wide SDSS image of NGC 4548
Below, a 6 arcmin wide natural-color image of M91 (Image Credit AURA/NSF/NOAO)
Below, a 3.0 by 2.75 arcmin wide image of part of the galaxy (Image Credit NASA, ESA, and J. Lee (CalTech); Processing Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America))
Below, a 2.75 by 2.75 arcmin wide image of the galaxy's central region using a different color palette (Image Credit ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team)
NGC 4549 (= PGC 41954)
Discovered (Apr 24, 1789) by William Herschel
A 15th-magnitude spiral galaxy (type Sb?) in Ursa Major (RA 12 35 21.3, Dec +58 56 59)
Apparent size 0.7 by 0.3 arcmin. (There is considerable confusion about the identification of NGC 4547 and 4549, which will be dealt with in the next iteration of this page. For this iteration I am adopting Corwin's conclusions, which seem to have received more general acceptance than any earlier effort to identify the objects.)
Above, a 2.4 arcmin wide closeup of NGC 4549 Below, a 12 arcmin wide region centered on the galaxy, also showing NGC 4547
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