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Box Galaxy (NGC 4449)
irregular galaxy in Canes Venatici
NGC 4449, the Box Galaxy, is a compact, irregular galaxy in Canes Venatici busy with star formation. It is rich in glowing pink hydrogen knots and has a boxy outline, which is how it got its nickname. It is small, but fairly bright for its size.
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// Key facts
- Catalog
- NGC 4449
- Also known as
- C 21, Caldwell 21
- Type
- irregular galaxy
- Constellation
- Canes Venatici
- Size
- 6′ across
- Brightness
- Magnitude 9.4
- Distance
- about 12 million light-years
- Peak month (any location)
- Mar
- Typical prime months
- Jan to Jun
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Filter
- No filter (broadband); a light-pollution filter is optional
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How to image Box Galaxy
- At about 6 arcminutes it needs 1,500 mm or more; expect to crop.
- Hydrogen-alpha data brings out the pink star-forming clumps.
- It sits near M94 and the Whale Galaxy, so a single night can cover several galaxies.
Framing: what focal length?
NGC 4449 is small, so a "60% of the frame" focal length would be impractical. Here is how much of an APS-C frame it covers at common long focal lengths; expect to crop.
| Focal length | Share of the frame width |
|---|---|
| 1,000 mm | about 7% |
| 2,000 mm | about 15% |
| 3,000 mm | about 22% |
How high does it climb from your latitude?
The highest point NGC 4449 reaches in the sky. Above about 60° is excellent, 30° to 60° is workable, and under 30° you are looking through a lot of air.
| Latitude | Highest point | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 55°N (Scotland, Alaska) | 79° | High in the sky |
| 45°N (Minneapolis, Milan) | 89° | High in the sky |
| 35°N (Los Angeles, Tokyo) | 81° | High in the sky |
| 25°N (Miami, Cairo) | 71° | High in the sky |
| 35°S (Sydney, Santiago) | 11° | Stays low |
Also worth imaging
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