When is the best time to observe NGC 3159?

NGC 3159 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3159 located in the sky?

NGC 3159 lies in the constellation Leo Minor at right ascension 10h 14m and declination +38° 39′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3159?

At magnitude 13.4, NGC 3159 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 3159 — Galaxy in Leo Minor

Galaxy Fair (29/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 13.4^m Galaxy Leo Minor (LMi) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 13.4

Angular Size 1.0′ × 0.8′

Position Angle 156°

Distance 315.97 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E)

Description

vF, vS, stellar

Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 13m 54.0s

Dec +38° 38' 60.0"

Constellation Leo Minor (LMi)

Catalog NGC 3159

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	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 Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 3159 · 1.0′×0.8′ · 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 3163

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.1 0.0° Leo Minor

NGC 3158

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.8 0.1° Leo Minor

Tania Australis

HIP 50801; Mu Ursae Majoris; 34 Ursae Majoris

Hard+

Eclipsing binary, period 230.1d

Variable Star mag 3.05 3.3° Ursa Major

NGC 3198

Hard+

Edge-on galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.4 7.0° Ursa Major

NGC 3067

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.7 7.0° Leo

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