Coma Pinwheel (M99)
Also known as M99 · M 99 · Coma Pinwheel · NGC 4254 · Virgo Cluster Pinwheel
Coma Pinwheel (M99) is a galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, about 54.47 million light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Galaxy (shape SA) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Position (J2000) | 12h 18m 49s, +14° 24′ |
| Distance | 54.47 million light-years (its light set off about 54.47 million years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 9.87 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 4.6′ × 4.3′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Redshift | z = 0.0081 |
| Studied in | 1,031 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Coma Pinwheel (M99) is highest in the sky at midnight in March. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 84° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 54°. To see it you need a small telescope.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Coma Berenices
- Black Eye Galaxy (M64)
- M53 (NGC 5024)
- M85 (NGC 4382)
- M88 (NGC 4501)
- M91 (NGC 4548)
- M98 (NGC 4192)
- M100 (NGC 4321)
- Mice Galaxies
Everything in Coma Berenices · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits