When is the best time to observe NGC 3998?

NGC 3998 is best observed from February through April, with peak visibility during March when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 3998 located in the sky?

NGC 3998 lies in the constellation Ursa Major at right ascension 11h 58m and declination +55° 27′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 3998?

At magnitude 10.6, NGC 3998 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 3998 — Galaxy in Ursa Major

Galaxy Good (43/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 10.6^m Galaxy Ursa Major (UMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 10.6

Angular Size 2.8′ × 2.3′

Position Angle 139°

Distance 50.93 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0)

Description

cB, pS, R, vg, smbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 11h 57m 54.0s

Dec +55° 27' 00.0"

Constellation Ursa Major (UMa)

Catalog NGC 3998

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Medium+	Medium	Hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Easy	Medium+
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	Easy

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

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 3998 · 2.8′×2.3′ · 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 3990

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.6 0.0° Ursa Major

NGC 3982

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 0.4° Ursa Major

NGC 3898

Medium+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.8 1.4° Ursa Major

Z UMa

Easy

Mira-type variable, range 6.2–9.7

Variable Star mag 6.20 2.4° Ursa Major

NGC 4194

Hard+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.4 2.5° Ursa Major

M97

Owl Nebula

Hard+

Planetary nebula — try an OIII filter

Planetary Nebula mag 9.9 6.2° Ursa Major

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