When is the best time to observe NGC 2974?

NGC 2974 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2974 located in the sky?

NGC 2974 lies in the constellation Sextans at right ascension 09h 43m and declination -03° 42′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2974?

At magnitude 10.8, NGC 2974 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 2974 — Galaxy in Sextans

Galaxy Fair (39/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 10.8^m Galaxy Sextans (Sex) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 10.8

Angular Size 3.5′ × 2.1′

Position Angle 44°

Distance 91.88 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E)

Description

B, cS, iR, bM, *9 sp 43"

Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 42m 33.3s

Dec -03° 41' 56.8"

Constellation Sextans (Sex)

Catalog NGC 2974

2How easy to spot?

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

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 2974 · 3.5′×2.1′ · 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.

Tau Hya

HIP 46509; Tau1 Hydrae; 31 Hydrae

Easy

Easy double, sep 65.7″

Double Star mag 4.60 3.5° Hydra

NGC 3044

Hard+

Edge-on galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 6.0° Sextans

Galaxy mag 9.2 6.9° Sextans

21 Hya

Medium

Eclipsing binary, period 7.7d

Variable Star mag 6.11 8.2° Hydra

NGC 2962

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.7 8.9° Hydra

IC 2482

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 9.2° Hydra

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