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NGC 300

Galaxy Excellent (65/100)

Spiral

NGC 300 Galaxy Scl Visible Level 5 Expert level - Dark skies recommended
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Properties

Magnitude 9.0
Angular Size 19.4′ × 13.1′
Position Angle 114°
Galaxy Type Spiral (SAd)
pB, vL, vmiE, vgpmbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 00h 54m 54.0s
Dec -37° 40' 60.0"
Constellation Scl
Catalog NGC 300

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Eyepiece View

48x TFOV: 1.0° Lim. mag: 14.2
N E

NGC 300 · 19.4′×13.1′ · N up, E left

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About NGC 300

Description

NGC 300 is a face-on spiral galaxy in Sculptor, about 6.1 million light-years away. It is one of the closest spiral galaxies beyond the Local Group and a member of the Sculptor Group, displaying beautiful spiral arms studded with HII regions.

Observing Tips

A large (22 arcminutes) but low-surface-brightness galaxy. Binoculars or a wide-field telescope at low power under dark skies work best. The brightest HII regions may be visible in 10-inch scopes. Best in autumn from southern latitudes.

History

Discovered by James Dunlop on August 5, 1826 from Australia. NGC 300 has been used extensively for calibrating the extragalactic distance ladder using Cepheid variable stars.

Fun Facts

NGC 300 is so similar to M33 (the Triangulum Galaxy) in size, mass, and morphology that they are sometimes called twin galaxies. It was the first galaxy beyond the Local Group where individual Cepheid variables were resolved.