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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did NGC 4565 say to its friend? You're a galaxy of support.

Coordinates: Sky map 12h 36m 20.7710s, +25° 59′ 15.678″
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NGC 4565
NGC 4565
Observation data (J2000 epoch)
ConstellationComa Berenices
Right ascension12h 36m 20.7710s[1]
Declination+25° 59′ 15.678″[1]
Redshift0.004276[1]
Heliocentric radial velocity1282 ± 1 km/s[1]
Distance38.16 ± 2.27 Mly (11.700 ± 0.697 Mpc)[2]
53 ± 4 Mly (16.2 ± 1.3 Mpc)[3]
Apparent magnitude (V)10.42[1]
Characteristics
TypeSA(s)b?[1]
Size~176,000 ly (53.94 kpc) (diameter; D25 isophote)[1]
Apparent size (V)15.90′ × 1.85′[1]
Other designations
Caldwell 38, HOLM 426A, IRAS 12338+2615, UGC 7772, MCG +04-30-006, PGC 42038, CGCG 129-010[1]

NGC 4565 (also known as the Needle Galaxy, Flying Saucer Galaxy, Berenice's Hair Clip or Caldwell 38) is an edge-on spiral galaxy about 30 to 50 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices.[2] It lies close to the North Galactic Pole and has a visual magnitude of approximately 10.42. It is a prominent example of an edge-on spiral galaxy, known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile.[4][5] It was discovered by William Herschel on 6 April 1785.[6]

Characteristics

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NGC 4565 is a giant spiral galaxy more luminous than the Andromeda Galaxy.[7] Much speculation exists concerning the nature of the central bulge. In the absence of clear-cut dynamical data on the motions of stars in the bulge, the photometric data alone cannot adjudge among various options. However, its exponential shape suggested that it is a barred spiral galaxy.[8] Studies with the help of the Spitzer Space Telescope not only confirmed the presence of a central bar but also showed a pseudobulge within it, as well as an inner ring.[9]

This is a wide field view of the Needle Galaxy captured in March 2025.

This edge-on galaxy exhibits a slightly warped and extended disk under deep optical surveys, likely due to ongoing interaction with neighboring satellite galaxies or other galaxies in the Coma I group. GALEX images show the slight warp at the edge of the disc more clearly than other surveys.

Using the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR), astronomers of the University of Hamburg discovered a diffuse radio halo around NGC 4565. During the observations, a warp was detected in the radio continuum of NGC 4565 that is reminiscent of a neutral hydrogen line (HI) warp and identifying a slight flaring of the galaxy's radio halo. It is assumed that this flaring is caused by the warp, as the vertical intensity profiles are asymmetric in agreement with the warp. According to the study, a minimum age for the warp was estimated at approximately 130 million years. This is the spectral age of the galaxy's cosmic ray electrons, during which they are transported into the warp. This indicates that NGC 4565 may be in the aftermath of a period with more intense star formation, likely caused by interaction with one or both satellites. An HI bridge extending from NGC 4565 to IC 3571 also implies that an interaction has happened recently in cosmic terms.

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory scientists found a possible weak AGN but it is highly debated.[10]

Galaxy Groups

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NGC 4565, along with NGC 4562, IC 3543, and IC 3546, are listed together as Holm 426 in Erik Holmberg's A Study of Double and Multiple Galaxies Together with Inquiries into some General Metagalactic Problems, published in 1937.[11]

NGC 4565 has at least two satellite galaxies, NGC 4562 and IC 3571, one of which is interacting with it.[12] It has a population of roughly 240 globular clusters, more than the Milky Way.[7]

NGC 4565 is one of the brightest[13] galaxies of the Coma I Group.[14][13]

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Results for NGC 4565". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  2. 1 2 "Distance Results for NGC 4565". NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
  3. ↑ Jensen, Joseph B.; Tonry, John L.; Barris, Brian J.; Thompson, Rodger I.; et al. (February 2003). "Measuring Distances and Probing the Unresolved Stellar Populations of Galaxies Using Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations". Astrophysical Journal. 583 (2): 712–726. arXiv:astro-ph/0210129. Bibcode:2003ApJ...583..712J. doi:10.1086/345430. S2CID 551714.
  4. ↑ "NGC4565 at". apod.nasa.gov.
  5. ↑ Spiral Galaxy NGC 4565 at http://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0525a/
  6. ↑ Seligman, Courtney. "New General Catalogue Objects: NGC 4565". Celestial Atlas. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 Harris, William E. (1991). "Globular cluster systems in galaxies beyond the Local Group". Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 29: 543. Bibcode:1991ARA&A..29..543H. doi:10.1146/annurev.aa.29.090191.002551.
  8. ↑ Wu, Hong; et al. (2002). "Intermediate-band surface photometry of the edge-on galaxy NGC 4565". The Astronomical Journal. 123 (3): 1364–1380. arXiv:astro-ph/0111433. Bibcode:2002AJ....123.1364W. doi:10.1086/338849.
  9. ↑ Detection of a Distinct Pseudobulge Hidden Inside the Box-Shaped Bulge of NGC 4565
  10. ↑ Chiaberge, M.; Gilli, R.; Macchetto, F. D.; Sparks, W. B. (2006-11-10). "Low radiative efficiency accretion at work in active galactic nuclei: the nuclear spectral energy distribution of NGC4565". The Astrophysical Journal. 651 (2): 728–734. doi:10.1086/508131. ISSN 0004-637X.
  11. ↑ Holmberg, Erik (1937). "A Study of Double and Multiple Galaxies Together with Inquiries into some General Metagalactic Problems". Annals of the Observatory of Lund. 6: 1. Bibcode:1937AnLun...6....1H.
  12. ↑ HALOGAS: H I Observations and Modeling of the Nearby Edge-on Spiral Galaxy NGC 4565
  13. 1 2 "Webb Deep-Sky Society: Galaxy of the Month: NGC4565". www.webbdeepsky.com. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
  14. ↑ Gregory, Stephen A.; Thompson, Laird A. (April 1977). "The Coma i Galaxy Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 213: 345–350. Bibcode:1977ApJ...213..345G. doi:10.1086/155160. ISSN 0004-637X.
  15. ↑ "NGC 4565 - Needle Galaxy".
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