NGC 4164
DSS image of NGC 4164
Overlaid DSS image of NGC 4164, 30' x 30' with north at top and west to the right

Aladin viewer for the region around NGC 4164
PGC 38877, SDSS J121205.45+131220.3

Type  Galaxy
Magnitude  15.7
Size  0.387' x 0.333' @ 110°
Right Ascension  12h 12' 5.5"  (2000)
Declination  13° 12' 20" N
Constellation  Virgo
Description  vF, 2'-3' s of 4165
Classification  E3
Observing Notes

Harold Corwin

NGC 4164 and NGC 4165. There is no doubt concerning the identifications of these two galaxies, yet UGC missed the NGC number for NGC 4164. This is probably just an oversight. However, one comment: Tempel expresses some surprise that d'Arrest should have missed NGC 4164; Tempel seems to think that the two galaxies are nearly equal in brightness. However, NGC 4164 is a full magnitude fainter, and much smaller than NGC 4165. There is a 15th magnitude star about 30 arcsec south-following that may have provided the illusion of a brighter nebula in Tempel's relatively small 11-inch refractor. Still, I'm not at all surprised that d'Arrest picked up NGC 4165 alone.

NGC 4165 itself is identical to IC 3035, which is from Schwassmann's list of photographically discovered nebulae in the Virgo Cluster. There can be no doubt about this as Schwassmann included other NGC objects, and his position falls much closer to NGC 4165 than to the tiny companion just north-preceding. Nilson realized this, too, and corrected the mistaken entry in CGCG where the north-preceding galaxy is called IC 3035. Since Schwassmann was working on a plate taken with a telescope of 6-inches aperture, it's doubtful that the fainter galaxy is on the plate at all (the plate, by the way, has been lost. Wayne Johnson requested a print of it from Heidelberg along with the other prints of the discovery plates for many of Wolf's IC objects, but Schwassmann's plate could not be found).
NGC Notes by Harold Corwin
Other Data Sources for NGC 4164
Associated objects for NGC 4164
Nearby objects for NGC 4164
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Drawings, descriptions, and CCD photos are copyright Andrew Cooper unless otherwise noted, no usage without permission.

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NGC 4164