When is the best time to observe NGC 5218?

NGC 5218 is best observed from March through May, with peak visibility during April when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 5218 located in the sky?

NGC 5218 lies in the constellation Ursa Major at right ascension 13h 32m and declination +62° 46′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 5218?

At magnitude 12.3, NGC 5218 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 5218 — Galaxy in Ursa Major

Galaxy Good (43/100)

Barred Spiral

Magnitude 12.3^m Galaxy Ursa Major (UMa) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.3

Angular Size 1.8′ × 1.2′

Position Angle 93°

Distance 134.94 million ly

Galaxy Type Barred Spiral (SBb)

Description

pB, pL, R, gbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 13h 32m 12.0s

Dec +62° 46' 00.0"

Constellation Ursa Major (UMa)

Catalog NGC 5218

2How easy to spot?

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

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 Mar – May (peak: Apr)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 5218 · 1.8′×1.2′ · 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 5308

Medium+

Edge-on galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.3 2.5° Ursa Major

10 Dra

Hard+

Cool red giant

Double Star mag 4.65 2.9° Draco

NGC 5322

Easy

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.0 3.3° Ursa Major

NGC 5204

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.3 4.4° Ursa Major

RY Dra

Easy

Mira-type variable, range 5.9–8.0

Variable Star mag 5.90 5.0° Draco

NGC 4605

Medium+

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.0 6.2° Ursa Major

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