CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

NGC 4565

spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 8, 2026
Entity authorityQ622690
Source-derived summary

NGC 4565 (also known as the Needle Galaxy, Flying Saucer Galaxy, Berenice's Hair Clip or Caldwell 38) is an edge-on spiral galaxy about 30 to 50 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It lies close to the North Galactic Pole and has a visual magnitude of approximately 10.42. It is a prominent example of an edge-on spiral galaxy, known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile. It was discovered by William Herschel on 6 April 1785.

Characteristics

NGC 4565 is a giant spiral galaxy more luminous than the Andromeda Galaxy. Much speculation exists concerning the nature of the central bulge. In the absence of clear-cut dynamical data on the motions of stars in the bulge, the photometric data alone cannot adjudge among various options. However, its exponential shape suggested that it is a barred spiral galaxy. Studies with the help of the Spitzer Space Telescope not only confirmed the presence of a central bar but also showed a pseudobulge within it, as well as an inner ring.

This edge-on galaxy exhibits a slightly warped and extended disk under deep optical surveys, likely due to ongoing interaction with neighboring satellite galaxies or other galaxies in the Coma I group.

Editorial summary

“NGC 4565” enters the record as spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what spiral, galaxy and constellation can confirm, complicate or overturn.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1785—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its strongest next move is a source search built around spiral, galaxy and constellation.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

“NGC 4565” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, spiral, galaxy and constellation provides the most credible route into that argument.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q622690. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1785.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “NGC 4565”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow NGC 4565 primary sources, NGC 4565 archive and spiral research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “NGC 4565”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from NGC 4565” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.