NGC 4565
Edge-on Spiral Galaxy
aka Needle, PGC 42038, MCG 4-30-6, Uppsala 7772
Integrated Visual Magnitude: 10.6
Apparent Diameter: 14.8' x 2.1'
Distance: 30 Mly
Mean surface brightness: 23.0 mag/arc-sec2

Minimum requirements to view: 4-inch scope under dark skies

Burnham's describes NGC 4565 as "The largest of the edgewise spiral galaxies, and undoubtedly the most famous object of its type."  Oddly, Walter Scott Houston appears to have made no mention of it.
I'm a big fan of edge-on galaxies and this is one of the finest.  In the eyepiece this galaxy looks like a very thin, faint streak of light with a bright central core.  Users of larger telescopes will be able to trace the galaxy to near its full length as seen in photographs.  I believe that NGC 4565 appears thinner visually than in photographs due to the dark lane which runs down its length; most observers may be seeing only the brighter, southeastern edge.

The field in a 6-inch at 50x.  North is down and east is to the right.
 
Millennium Star Atlas Vol II Chart 677
Sky Atlas 2000 Chart 7
Uranometria 2000 Vol I Chart 149

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