| M40 (W4) / Double Star |
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| R.A. | 12h 22m 24.0s (2000.0) |
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| Dec. | +58° 05' 00" (2000.0) |
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| Apparent Size | - |
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| Real Size | - |
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| Magnitude | 9.0 |
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| Distance | N/A |
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One of Messier's celestial bodies M40 is positioned about 1.5 degrees north east of delta UMa, one of stars that forms the Big Dipper.
But the number of M40 is informal one, we cannot find out any noticeable nebulae nor star clusters where Messier had recorded.
In present, some star charts or guidebooks provide minor double stars of "W4" as M40.
This double stars with 9th magnitude is inconspicuous one without worthy of mention.
Incidentally the double stars have a separation of about 50 arc seconds.
You can see two small and faint galaxies just west (on right hand side of this picture) of M40, brighter one is NGC4290 and dimmed one has a number of NGC4284.
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