The Needle Galaxy, also cataloged as NGC 4565, is one of the most striking edge-on galaxies in the entire sky and a beloved target for astrophotographers. Presented almost perfectly side-on with an angular size of 14′ × 2.2′, it reveals a razor-thin disk bisected by a dramatic dark dust lane that rewards long integration times and careful contrast processing. At magnitude 12.43 with a surface brightness of 24.7593 mag/arcsec², it is bright enough for moderate apertures yet benefits from dark skies to bring out the faint outer disk and the golden central bulge. Its slender, needle-like silhouette makes it a rewarding subject for both narrow and wide framings, where the surrounding star field provides an elegant backdrop.
Names and Catalog numbers
- Needle Galaxy
- C 38 (Caldwell 38)
- NGC 4565
- UGC 7772
- PGC 42038
Position and the cosmic neighborhood
The Needle Galaxy sits in Coma Berenices at right ascension 12h 36m 20.8s and declination +25° 59′ 15″, a region of sky famous for its wealth of distant galaxies. This part of the celestial sphere lies well away from the crowded Milky Way band, so imagers enjoy a relatively clean foreground of stars and a dark, contrast-rich background ideal for capturing faint galactic structure. From this vantage the galaxy’s stretched profile stands out sharply, making NGC 4565 a natural centerpiece for deep-sky sessions targeting the Coma–Virgo galaxy fields.
Nice to Know
- Its knife-thin, edge-on presentation earned it the popular nickname “Needle Galaxy,” one of the most recognizable galaxy profiles for imagers.
- Spanning roughly 223,000 light-years across, it is a strikingly large disk galaxy that comfortably fills a well-planned frame.
- A prominent dark dust lane runs the full length of the disk, offering rich detail that responds well to careful stretching and contrast work.
- It carries several catalog identities, including Caldwell 38, NGC 4565, PGC 42038, and UGC 7772, making it easy to reference across observing tools.
Brightness, distance and size
The object has an apparent magnitude of 12.4 mag, it lies about 55.4 million light-years from Earth and spans roughly 223,000 light-years across. On the sky it appears about 14′ × 2.2′ in size.
