Caldwell 29 — Galaxy in Canes Venatici
NGC 5005
About C29
Description
NGC 5005 is a spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici, about 65 million light-years away. It has a bright, active nucleus classified as a LINER (Low-Ionization Nuclear Emission-line Region) and prominent dust lanes visible in photographs.
Observing Tips
Visible as a moderately bright, elongated glow in a 6-inch telescope with a brighter core. Forms a nice pair with NGC 5033 about half a degree to the southeast. Best in spring evenings.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on May 1, 1785. The galaxy has been studied for its mildly active nucleus and its interaction with nearby galaxies.
Fun Facts
NGC 5005 and neighboring NGC 5033 may be gravitationally interacting despite their apparent separation, based on distortions in their outer hydrogen gas distributions.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Medium+ | Medium+ | Medium |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Medium+ |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Easy |
Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs
3Visibility
Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.
4
Eyepiece View
5
Best Magnification
Explore
6
Surface Brightness
7
Morphology Decoder
8
Inclination & True Shape
9
Redshift
10
Size Comparator
Discover
11
Light Travel Time Machine
12
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: NASA Hubble Space Telescope. License: CC BY 2.0. (Wikimedia Commons)
Skybred Mar 2, 2026
Nearby in the Sky
Other targets within a few degrees — pan your scope a little and keep exploring.
Visibility scores assume a 150 mm Newton at Bortle 4.
Explore Nightbase
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