About C40
Description
NGC 3626 is a lenticular galaxy in Leo, about 70 million light-years away. It has a bright central core and a smooth disk with subtle dust features. The galaxy rotates in the opposite direction to its gas, indicating a past merger or accretion event.
Observing Tips
Visible as a small, moderately bright, round glow in a 6-inch telescope. Not much detail is visible visually. Located in Leo's rich galaxy region. Best in spring evenings at medium magnification.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on March 14, 1784. Modern spectroscopic studies revealed the counter-rotating gas component, making it scientifically interesting despite its modest visual appearance.
Fun Facts
The counter-rotating gas disk in NGC 3626 likely came from a smaller galaxy that was accreted on a retrograde orbit, providing direct evidence of galaxy cannibalism.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Medium | Hard+ | Hard+ |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Medium+ | Medium+ |
| Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm | Easy | Easy | Medium+ |
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
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Surface Brightness
7
Morphology Decoder
8
Inclination & True Shape
9
Redshift
10
Size Comparator
Discover
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Light Travel Time Machine
12
Relativistic Travel
Community Photos (1)
Credit: Sloan Digital Sky Survey. License: CC BY 4.0. (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.
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