NGC 4487 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo, located about 55 million light-years from Earth. With an apparent size of 4.2 by 2.8 arcminutes, it spans roughly 65,000 light-years and presents a patchy, loosely wound spiral structure with a faint central bar.
The galaxy has a flocculent appearance, meaning its spiral arms are fragmented into short, scattered segments rather than forming long, continuous arcs. This gives it a soft, textured look, especially visible in the outer disk. The arms appear uneven in their extent and brightness, with one side stretching slightly farther than the other — subtle signs of asymmetry and mild distortion that could result from internal dynamics or weak gravitational interaction with nearby group members.
Faint bright pinkish knots are visible in parts of the disk — likely HII regions where new stars are forming within pockets of gas and dust. Dark filaments thread through the spiral arms, hinting at the presence of cold interstellar material shaping star formation across the galaxy.
In 2009, a Type II-P supernova was observed in NGC 4487 — the explosive death of a massive star — offering a reminder of the active stellar evolution still occurring in this quiet-looking system.
NGC 4487 is part of a small galaxy group that includes NGC 4504 and NGC 4597. Over long timescales, gravitational interactions within this group may continue to subtly influence the structure and evolution of its members.
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Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave CDK 1000 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby