When is the best time to observe NGC 3308?

NGC 3308 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3308 located in the sky?

NGC 3308 lies in the constellation Hydra at right ascension 10h 36m and declination -27° 26′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3308?

At magnitude 12.2, NGC 3308 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 3308 — Galaxy in Hydra

Galaxy Fair (33/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 12.2^m Galaxy Hydra (Hya) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.2

Angular Size 1.2′ × 0.7′

Position Angle 34°

Distance 165.67 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E-S0)

Description

F, S, R, 4th of 9

Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 36m 24.0s

Dec -27° 25' 60.0"

Constellation Hydra (Hya)

Catalog NGC 3308

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	Medium+	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 3308 · 1.2′×0.7′ · 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

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 3309

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.9 0.1° Hydra

NGC 3311

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.6 0.1° Hydra

NGC 3315

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.05 0.4° Hydra

IC 2597

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.68 0.5° Hydra

AG Ant

Medium

Variable star, range 5.3–5.7

Variable Star mag 5.34 4.3° Antlia

Ghost of Jupiter

NGC 3242

Medium+

Small bright planetary nebula

Planetary Nebula mag 7.8 9.2° Hydra

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