When is the best time to observe NGC 3271?

NGC 3271 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3271 located in the sky?

NGC 3271 lies in the constellation Antlia at right ascension 10h 30m and declination -35° 22′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3271?

At magnitude 11.7, NGC 3271 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 3271 — Galaxy in Antlia

Galaxy Fair (35/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 11.7^m Galaxy Antlia (Ant) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 11.7

Angular Size 3.0′ × 1.7′

Position Angle 109°

Distance 175.22 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0)

Description

pF, S, E, pmbM, 4th of 4

Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 30m 26.5s

Dec -35° 21' 34.2"

Constellation Antlia (Ant)

Catalog NGC 3271

2How easy to spot?

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

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Jan – Mar (peak: Feb)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 3271 · 3.0′×1.7′ · 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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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 3268

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.8 0.1° Antlia

NGC 3260

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.67 0.4° Antlia

NGC 3258

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.7 0.4° Antlia

NGC 3257

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.12 0.5° Antlia

U Ant

Easy

Deep red carbon star

Star mag 5.38 4.3° Antlia

Eight Burst Nebula

NGC 3132

Easy

Small bright planetary nebula

Planetary Nebula mag 8.0 6.9° Vela

AG Ant

Medium

Variable star, range 5.3–5.7

Variable Star mag 5.34 6.9° Antlia

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