When is the best time to observe NGC 2983?

NGC 2983 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2983 located in the sky?

NGC 2983 lies in the constellation Hydra at right ascension 09h 44m and declination -20° 29′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2983?

At magnitude 11.7, NGC 2983 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 2983 — Galaxy in Hydra

Galaxy Fair (35/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 11.7^m Galaxy Hydra (Hya) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 11.7

Angular Size 2.4′ × 1.2′

Position Angle 86°

Distance 95.00 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0-a)

Description

F, pS, R, bM, r, stellar

Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 43m 42.0s

Dec -20° 28' 60.0"

Constellation Hydra (Hya)

Catalog NGC 2983

2How easy to spot?

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

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 2983 · 2.4′×1.2′ · 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 2986

Easy

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.9 0.8° Hydra

NGC 2935

Hard+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 1.7° Hydra

NGC 3091

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 4.0° Hydra

NGC 3081

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 4.4° Hydra

S Ant

Medium

Eclipsing binary, period 15.6h

Variable Star mag 6.46 8.5° Antlia

Ghost of Jupiter

NGC 3242

Medium+

Small bright planetary nebula

Planetary Nebula mag 9.0 9.8° Hydra

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