NGC 4261


Combination of 5, 3 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham cassegrain telescope at prime focus.

NGC 4261 is a brightright but fairly small galaxy in Virgo. In an 18" telescope, 2 other galaxies are visible in the field.

The are numerous other galaxies in the field. The bright spiral galaxy at the top is the 11.8 magnitude NGC 4260, while to the right of it is the 15.8 magnitude PGC 39606. The pair of galaxies just below the bright star in the upper left are the 14.2 magnitude IC 3155 (right) and the 17.2 magnitude PGC 39727. The 2 small galaxies just above NGC 4261 are the 14.9 magnitude PGC 39655 (the upper one) while the lower one is anonymous. Below NGC 4261, looking like a star, is the 15.3 magnitude PGC 39660. The bright galaxy to the left of 4261 is NGC 4264 (magnitude 13.0) while at the bottom of the image is NGC 4257 (magnitude 16.0)