When is the best time to observe NGC 5302?

NGC 5302 is best observed from March through May, with peak visibility during April when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 5302 located in the sky?

NGC 5302 lies in the constellation Centaurus at right ascension 13h 49m and declination -30° 31′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 5302?

At magnitude 12.2, NGC 5302 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 5302 — Galaxy in Centaurus

Galaxy Fair (37/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 12.2^m Galaxy Centaurus (Cen) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.2

Angular Size 1.1′ × 0.6′

Position Angle 162°

Distance 165.53 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0-a)

Description

F, S, R, gbM

Position & Identifiers

RA 13h 48m 48.0s

Dec -30° 31' 00.0"

Constellation Centaurus (Cen)

Catalog NGC 5302

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Hard	Hard	V. hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Medium	Hard+	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 Mar – May (peak: Apr)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 5302 · 1.1′×0.6′ · 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.

IC 4329

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.5 0.2° Centaurus

4 Cen

Easy

Colorful double, sep 14.8″

Double Star mag 4.73 1.7° Centaurus

NGC 5253

Easy

Barred spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 10.6 2.2° Centaurus

NGC 5328

Medium

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.8 2.2° Hydra

IC 4351

Medium

Edge-on galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 2.3° Hydra

T Cen

Easy

Mira-type variable, range 5.5–9.0

Variable Star mag 6.05 3.4° Centaurus

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