---
title: "NGC 4402"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-4402"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 4402 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-4402"
---

# NGC 4402

NGC 4402 is a spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) Sb in the constellation [Virgo](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/virgo), shining at apparent magnitude 11.78 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J12260756+1306460, IRAS 12235+1323 and IRAS F12235+1323, among 10 designations in total. It was discovered in 1862.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Spiral galaxy
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 3.5′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 11.78 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Virgo](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/virgo) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Spiral galaxy Sb |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 11.78 |
| CONSTELLATION | Virgo |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 12h 26m 07.7s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +13° 06′ 48.0″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1862 |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Hubble type | Sb |

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 12.78 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.78 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 9.60 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 8.63 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 8.49 |
| Surface brightness | 23.38 mag/arcsec² |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radial velocity | 231 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.00077 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00186739 |
| Major axis | 3.52′ |
| Minor axis | 1′ |
| Position angle | 89° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | Arthur Auwers |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | G |
| Wikidata item | Q1111211 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 4402 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J12260756+1306460
- IRAS: IRAS 12235+1323
- IRAS: IRAS F12235+1323
- LEDA: LEDA 40644
- MCG: MCG +02-32-044
- NGC: NGC 4402
- PGC: PGC 40644
- SDSS: SDSS J122607.65+130647.9
- SDSS: SDSS J122607.71+130649.0
- UGC: UGC 7528

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. NGC 4402 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-4402

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-4402,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 4402}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-4402},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-4402
