When is the best time to observe NGC 3309?

NGC 3309 is best observed from January through March, with peak visibility during February when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3309 located in the sky?

NGC 3309 lies in the constellation Hydra at right ascension 10h 37m and declination -27° 31′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3309?

At magnitude 11.9, NGC 3309 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 3309 — Galaxy in Hydra

Galaxy Fair (31/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 11.9^m Galaxy Hydra (Hya) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 11.9

Angular Size 1.8′ × 1.6′

Position Angle 94°

Distance 190.39 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E)

Description

B, L, R, p of Dneb, 5th of 9

Position & Identifiers

RA 10h 36m 36.0s

Dec -27° 31' 00.0"

Constellation Hydra (Hya)

Catalog NGC 3309

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 3309 · 1.8′×1.6′ · 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 3311

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.6 0.0° Hydra

NGC 3308

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.2 0.1° Hydra

NGC 3315

Hard

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.05 0.3° 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 9.3° Hydra

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