When is the best time to observe NGC 2985?

NGC 2985 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 2985 located in the sky?

NGC 2985 lies in the constellation Ursa Major at right ascension 09h 50m and declination +72° 17′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 2985?

At magnitude 10.5, NGC 2985 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 2985 — Galaxy in Ursa Major

Galaxy Good (53/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 10.5^m Galaxy Ursa Major (UMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 10.5

Angular Size 3.6′ × 2.9′

Position Angle 177°

Distance 60.15 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (Sab)

Description

vB, cL, R, psmbM, * inv f

Position & Identifiers

RA 09h 50m 24.0s

Dec +72° 16' 60.0"

Constellation Ursa Major (UMa)

Catalog NGC 2985

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard	Hard	V. hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Medium	Hard+	Hard+
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Medium	Medium	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 2985 · 3.6′×2.9′ · 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 3065

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 0.9° Ursa Major

NGC 2810

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 2.2° Ursa Major

NGC 3147

Medium+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.7 2.2° Draco

Galaxy mag 8.4 2.6° Ursa Major

Sigma UMa

HIP 45038; Sigma2 Ursae Majoris; 13 Ursae Majoris

Medium+

Colorful double, sep 4.7″

Double Star mag 4.80 6.2° Ursa Major

VY UMa

Medium

Semi-regular variable, range 5.9–6.5

Variable Star mag 6.00 6.7° Ursa Major

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