One of a group of distant galaxies in central Pisces, close to the star Omega Piscium in the sky. NGC 4 is estimated (with a considerable degree of uncertainty) to lie more than four hundred million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy, and hence appears small and faint in the sky (its apparent magnitude is +16.36, and it extends across just half an arcminute from edge to edge). The galaxy is clearly spiral in form, with a central bulge and distinct disc, but it is oriented almost exactly edge-on relative to the Milky Way, so the details of its spiral structure cannot be seen.
Show on Sky Map