When is the best time to observe NGC 2271?

NGC 2271 is best observed from November through January, with peak visibility during December when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2271 located in the sky?

NGC 2271 lies in the constellation Canis Major at right ascension 06h 43m and declination -23° 29′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2271?

At magnitude 14.0, NGC 2271 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 2271 — Galaxy in Canis Major

Galaxy Fair (20/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 14.0^m Galaxy Canis Major (CMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 14.0

Angular Size 1.8′ × 1.3′

Position Angle 78°

Distance 120.59 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E-S0)

Description

pF, S, R, gbM, am st

Position & Identifiers

RA 06h 42m 53.0s

Dec -23° 28' 33.6"

Constellation Canis Major (CMa)

Catalog NGC 2271

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	V. 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 2271 · 1.8′×1.3′ · 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

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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.

M41

Little Beehive Cluster

Easy

Rich open cluster

Open Cluster mag 4.5 2.8° Canis Major

NGC 2272

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.9 4.0° Canis Major

NGC 2217

Easy

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.4 6.1° Canis Major

NGC 2296

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 6.7° Canis Major

NGC 2325

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.2 6.9° Canis Major

29 CMa

Hard+

Eclipsing binary, period 4.4d

Variable Star mag 4.98 8.2° Canis Major

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