NGC 4487
| NGC 4487 | |
|---|---|
NGC 4487 imaged by Hubble Space Telescope | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Virgo |
| Right ascension | 12h 31m 04.4322s |
| Declination | −08° 03′ 14.110″ |
| Redshift | 0.003456 ± 0.000007 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 1,036 ± 2 km/s |
| Distance | 55.3 ± 15.8 Mly (16.9 ± 4.8 Mpc) |
| Group or cluster | Virgo II Groups |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.0 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SAB(rs)cd |
| Size | ~67,000 ly (20.6 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 4.2′ × 2.8′ |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS 12285-0746, MCG -01-32-021, PGC 41399 | |
NGC 4487 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy lies about 55 million light years away from Earth, which means, given its apparent dimensions, that NGC 4487 is approximately 65,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on March 23, 1789.