The 10th magnitude galaxy sits perpendicular to our own Milky Way galaxy and is almost directly above the North Galactic Pole (in the same way Polaris is located above the Earth's North Pole).
It is known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile. First spotted in 1785 by Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), this is one of the most famous examples of an edge-on spiral galaxy. "Visible through a small telescope, some sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed."
Much speculation exists in the literature as to 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 put forth. However, its exponential shape suggests that it is a barred spiral galaxy.;subsequent studies with the help of the Spitzer Space Telescope not only confirm the presence of a central bar but also show a pseudobulge within it as well as an inner ring.
NGC 4565 is a giant spiral galaxy more luminous than the Andromeda Galaxy and it has been proposed was it seen view face-on, it would be the most spectacular of the galaxies of its type in the nearby Universe.
NGC 4565 has at least two companion galaxies, one of which is interactingwith it
It has a population of roughly 240 globular clusters, more than the Milky Way.
Image : Magnificent spiral galaxy NGC 4565 is viewed edge-on from planet Earth. Also known as the Needle Galaxy for its narrow profile, bright NGC 4565 is a stop on many telescopic tours of the northern sky, in the faint but well-groomed constellation Coma Berenices. This sharp, colorful image reveals the galaxy's bulging central core cut by obscuring dust lanes that lace NGC 4565's thin galactic plane. An assortment of other background galaxies is included in the pretty field of view, with neighboring galaxy NGC 4562 at the upper left. NGC 4565 itself lies about 40 million light-years distant and spans some 100,000 light-years. Easily spotted with small telescopes, sky enthusiasts consider NGC 4565 to be a prominent celestial masterpiece Messier missed.
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| NGC 4565 and apparently smaller NGC 4562. 24-inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, AZ. Courtesy of Joseph D. Schulman |