When is the best time to observe NGC 2263?

NGC 2263 is best observed from November through January, with peak visibility during December when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2263 located in the sky?

NGC 2263 lies in the constellation Canis Major at right ascension 06h 38m and declination -24° 51′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2263?

At magnitude 13.0, NGC 2263 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 2263 — Galaxy in Canis Major

Galaxy Fair (34/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 13.0^m Galaxy Canis Major (CMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 13.0

Angular Size 2.9′ × 1.8′

Position Angle 144°

Distance 128.58 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (SBab)

Description

pF, lE, bet 2 vS st, pslbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 06h 38m 28.8s

Dec -24° 50' 55.3"

Constellation Canis Major (CMa)

Catalog NGC 2263

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	V. hard+	V. hard	V. hard
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Hard+	Hard	V. hard+
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Hard+	Hard+	Hard

Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Medium on Seestar S50

3Visibility

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Best season Nov – Jan (peak: Dec)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 2263 · 2.9′×1.8′ · N up, E left

5 Best Magnification

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6 Surface Brightness

7 Morphology Decoder

8 Inclination & True Shape

9 Redshift

10 Size Comparator

Discover

11

Light Travel Time Machine

12

Relativistic Travel

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.

NGC 2272

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.9 2.8° Canis Major

Collinder 121

Easy

Open cluster

Open Cluster mag 2.6 4.1° Canis Major

NGC 2217

Easy

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.4 4.5° Canis Major

NGC 2325

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.2 6.6° Canis Major

S Lep

Easy

Semi-regular variable, range 6.0–7.6

Variable Star mag 6.95 7.5° Lepus

NGC 2179

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.5 7.6° Lepus

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