When is the best time to observe NGC 2963?

NGC 2963 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2963 located in the sky?

NGC 2963 lies in the constellation Draco at right ascension 09h 48m and declination +72° 58′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2963?

At magnitude 14.0, NGC 2963 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 2963 — Galaxy in Draco

Galaxy Good (43/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 14.0^m Galaxy Draco (Dra) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 14.0

Angular Size 1.2′ × 0.6′

Position Angle 158°

Distance 312.18 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (SBab)

Description

vF, vS, R, bM

Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 47m 48.0s

Dec +72° 58' 00.0"

Constellation Draco (Dra)

Catalog NGC 2963

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.	V. hard+	V. hard+	V. hard
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Hard	V. hard+	V. 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 Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 2963 · 1.2′×0.6′ · 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.

NGC 2985

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.5 0.7° Ursa Major

NGC 3065

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 1.3° Ursa Major

NGC 3147

Medium+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.7 2.1° Draco

NGC 2810

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 2.2° Ursa Major

Sigma UMa

HIP 45038; Sigma2 Ursae Majoris; 13 Ursae Majoris

Medium+

Colorful double, sep 4.7″

Double Star mag 4.80 6.6° Ursa Major

VY UMa

Medium

Semi-regular variable, range 5.9–6.5

Variable Star mag 6.00 7.3° Ursa Major

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