Coma Berenices is an ancient asterism in the northern sky, which has been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is in the direction of the fourth galactic quadrant, between Leo and Boötes, and it is visible in both hemispheres. Its name means "Berenice's Hair" in Latin and refers to Queen Berenice II of Egypt, who sacrificed her long hair as a votive offering. It was introduced to Western astronomy during the third century BC by Conon of Samos and was further corroborated as a constellation by Gerardus Mercator and Tycho Brahe. It is the only modern constellation named for a historic person.
NGC 4881 is an elliptical galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by the German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest on April 22, 1865. John L. E. Dreyer described it as "faint, small, a little extended, 9th magnitude star to southwest". This object is located at a distance of approximately 309 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It is a member of the Coma cluster of galaxies, positioned around 18′ to the north of the cluster's center with no nearby galactic neighbors.
NGC 4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy with a prominent ring structure, located in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices near the north galactic pole. It was discovered by German-born astronomer William Herschel on April 6, 1785. The galaxy lies at a distance of approximately 40 megalight-years from the Milky Way. NGC 4725 is the brightest member of the Coma I Group of the Coma-Sculptor Cloud, although it is relatively isolated from the other members of this group. This galaxy is strongly disturbed and is interacting with neighboring spiral galaxy NGC 4747, with its spiral arms showing indications of warping. The pair have an angular separation of 24′, which corresponds to a projected linear separation of 370 kly. A tidal plume extends from NGC 4747 toward NGC 4725.
NGC 4323 is a lenticular or dwarf elliptical galaxy located about 52.5 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered in 1882 by astronomer Wilhelm Tempel and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.
NGC 4911 is a disturbed, warped spiral galaxy with a bright prominent central starburst ring and located deep within the Coma Cluster of galaxies, which lies some 300 million light years away in the northern constellation Coma Berenices. NGC 4911 is believed to be interacting with its warped, barred lenticular companion, producing the enhanced star formation and shell-like appearance seen in optical images. The galaxy contains rich lanes of dust and gas near its centre. The existence of clouds of hydrogen within the galaxy indicates ongoing star formation. It is rare for a spiral galaxy to be situated at the heart of a cluster.
NGC 3783 is a barred spiral galaxy located about 135 million light years away in the constellation Centaurus. It is inclined by an angle of 23° to the line of sight from the Earth along a position angle of about 163°. The morphological classification of SBa indicates a bar structure across the center (B) and tightly-wound spiral arms (a). Although not shown by this classification, observers note the galaxy has a luminous inner ring surrounding the bar structure. The bright compact nucleus is active and categorized as a Seyfert 1 type. This nucleus is a strong source of X-ray emission and undergoes variations in emission across the electromagnetic spectrum.
NGC 66 is a barred spiral galaxy discovered by Frank Muller in 1886, and is located in the Cetus constellation.
NGC 151 is a mid-sized barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Cetus.
NGC 4274 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is located at a distance of circa 45 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 4274 is about 95,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1785.
NGC 4494 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is located at a distance of circa 45 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 4494 is about 60,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1785.
NGC 4473 is an elliptical galaxy located about 50 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784. NGC 4473 has an inclination of about 71°. NGC 4473 is a member of a chain of galaxies called Markarian's Chain which is part of the larger Virgo Cluster of galaxies.
The Coma I Group is a group of galaxies located about 14.5 Mpc (47.3 Mly) away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The brightest member of the group is NGC 4725. The Coma I Group is rich in spiral galaxies while containing few elliptical and lenticular galaxies. Coma I lies in the foreground of the more distant Coma and Leo clusters and is located within the Virgo Supercluster.
NGC 4061 is an elliptical galaxy located 310 light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785. It was rediscovered by John Herschel on April 29, 1832. It is listed both as NGC 4061 and NGC 4055. NGC 4061 is a member of the NGC 4065 Group and forms an interacting pair with its companion, NGC 4065 as evidenced by distortions in their optical isophotes.
NGC 4278 is an elliptical galaxy located in the constellation Coma Berenices. It is located at a distance of circa 55 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 4278 is about 65,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on March 13, 1785. NGC 4278 is part of the Herschel 400 Catalogue and can be found about one and 3/4 of a degree northwest of Gamma Comae Berenices even with a small telescope.
NGC 2974 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Sextans. It is located at a distance of circa 90 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 2974 is about 90,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on January 6, 1785. NGC 2974 is located in the sky about 2 and a half degrees south-south east of Iota Hydrae and more than 6 degrees northeast of Alphard. A 10th magnitude star lies next to the galaxy, thus making it a challenging object at low magnifications. NGC 2974 is part of the Herschel 400 Catalogue.
NGC 770 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Aries. It is around 120 million light years from the Milky Way and has a diameter of around 36,000 ly. NGC 770 is gravitationally linked to NGC 772. The galaxy was discovered on November 3, 1855 by RJ Mitchell.
NGC 825 is an unbarred spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus, estimated to be 154 million light-years away. The object was discovered by the astronomer Albert Marth on November 18, 1863.
NGC 782 is a barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus about 160 million light-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel in 1834.
NGC 5966 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Boötes. NGC 5966 is its New General Catalogue designation. The galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on March 18, 1787. Based on its redshift, it is located about 220 million light-years away from the Sun.
NGC 959 is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Triangulum. It was discovered on November 9, 1876, by French astronomer Édouard Stephan. This galaxy is located at a distance of 36 million light years and is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 596 km/s. It is a member of the NGC 1023 Group of galaxies.
