When is the best time to observe NGC 3642?

NGC 3642 is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3642 located in the sky?

NGC 3642 lies in the constellation Ursa Major at right ascension 11h 22m and declination +59° 04′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3642?

At magnitude 11.1, NGC 3642 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 3642 — Galaxy in Ursa Major

Galaxy Good (52/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 11.1^m Galaxy Ursa Major (UMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 11.1

Angular Size 4.3′ × 3.6′

Position Angle 120°

Distance 73.95 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (Sbc)

Description

pB, pL, R, vgbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 11h 22m 17.9s

Dec +59° 04' 28.2"

Constellation Ursa Major (UMa)

Catalog NGC 3642

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	Medium
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

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Feb – Apr (peak: Mar)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 3642 · 4.3′×3.6′ · N up, E left

5 Best Magnification

Explore

6 Surface Brightness

7 Morphology Decoder

8 Inclination & True Shape

9 Redshift

10 Size Comparator

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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 3610

Easy

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.8 0.6° Ursa Major

NGC 3613

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 1.2° Ursa Major

NGC 3796

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 2.6° Ursa Major

NGC 3894

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 3.4° Ursa Major

Merak

Beta UMa

Easy

Bright naked-eye star, mag 2.4

Star mag 2.37 3.8° Ursa Major

M97

Owl Nebula

Hard+

Planetary nebula — try an OIII filter

Planetary Nebula mag 9.9 4.2° Ursa Major

Z UMa

Easy

Mira-type variable, range 6.2–9.7

Variable Star mag 6.20 4.6° Ursa Major

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