We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate Now! Help keep this site free and ads-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
All Constellations »  Ursa Major »  Deep Sky Objects » 

NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major

Altitude: 51.3°   Azimuth: 298.7°   Direction: West-North-West

NGC 4181 is a Elliptical Galaxy in the Ursa Major constellation. NGC 4181 is situated north of the celestial equator and, as such, it is more easily visible from the northern hemisphere.

The image below is a photograph of NGC 4181 from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2 - see the credits section) taken in the red channel. The area of sky represented in the image is 0.5x0.5 degrees (30x30 arcmins).

Image of NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major star
/>
DSS2 image of NGC 4181 in the Red band. The green region on the image is a representation of the major (1.12 arcmin) and minor (0.77 arcmin) axes of the object's apparent size.

Key facts about NGC 4181

NGC 4181
Galaxy
Ursa Major

NGC 4181 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.

Altitude: 51.3°
Azimuth: 298.7°
Direction: West-North-West

See also NGC 4181 rise and set times.

Given its B magnitude of 15.2, NGC 4181 is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 20 inches (500mm) or more.

Available Resources for NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major

Photometric information of NGC 4181

The following table lists the magnitude of NGC 4181 in different bands of the electomagnetic spectrum (when available), from the B band (445nm wavelength, corresponding to the Blue color), to the V band ( 551nm wavelength, corresponding to Green/Yellow color), to the J, H, K bands (corresponding to 1220nm, 1630nm, 2190nm wavelengths respectively, which are colors not visible to the human eye).

15.2
11.8
11.05
10.91

For more information about photometry in astronomy, check the photometric system article on Wikipedia.

The surface brightess reported below is an indication of the brightness per unit of angular area of NGC 4181.

23.92 mag/arcsec2

Apparent size of NGC 4181

The following table reports NGC 4181 apparent angular size. The green area displayed on top of the DSS2 image of NGC 4181 is a visual representation of it.
1.12 arcmin
0.77 arcmin

NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major morphological classification

NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major is classified as Elliptical (E) according to the Hubble and de Vaucouleurs galaxy morphological classification. The diagram below shows a visual representation of the position of NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major in the Hubble de Vaucouleurs sequence.

NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major
Visualization of the morphological classification of NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major, Elliptical (E).
Credits for the background image: Antonio Ciccolella / M. De Leo / CC BY

Celestial coordinates and finder chart of NGC 4181

Celestial coordinates for the J2000 equinox of NGC 4181 are provided in the following table:

12h 12m 48s
+52° 54’ 11”

The simplified sky charts below show the position of NGC 4181 in the sky. The first chart has a field of view of 60° while the second one has a field of view of 10°.

Finder chart NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major star
Simplified finder chart for NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major.

Finder chart NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major star
Simplified finder chart for NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major.

Rise and set times of NGC 4181 from your location

Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London

NGC 4181 - Elliptical Galaxy in Ursa Major is circumpolar and transits at 00:24 UTC (altitude: 88.6°)