About Spindle Galaxy
Description
The Spindle Galaxy (NGC 3115) is a lenticular galaxy in Sextans, about 32 million light-years away. Seen edge-on, it has a prominent central bulge that tapers to a thin, lens-shaped disk, giving it its spindle shape.
Observing Tips
One of the brighter lenticular galaxies, visible in a 4-inch telescope as a bright, elongated smudge with a concentrated center. An 8-inch scope shows the spindle shape clearly. Best in spring evenings.
History
Discovered by William Herschel on February 22, 1787. Modern observations have detected a supermassive black hole of about 1 billion solar masses at its center — one of the nearest billion-solar-mass black holes to Earth.
Fun Facts
NGC 3115 holds the record for the nearest galaxy with a definitively measured billion-solar-mass black hole. Despite being a lenticular galaxy with little gas, faint dust rings suggest it may have accreted a small companion in the past.
Observe
1Properties
Position & Identifiers
2How easy to spot?
| Telescope | Bortle 3 | Bortle 4 | Bortle 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm refractor 80mm refr. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 150 mm Newton 150mm Newt. | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| 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
Spindle Galaxy · 7.1′×3.0′ · N up, E left
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: Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Alabama/K. Wong et al; Optical: ESO/VLT. License: Public domain. (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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