When is the best time to observe NGC 5557?

NGC 5557 is best observed from March through May, with peak visibility during April when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 5557 located in the sky?

NGC 5557 lies in the constellation Boötes at right ascension 14h 18m and declination +36° 30′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 5557?

At magnitude 11.1, NGC 5557 is best observed with a 6-inch (150 mm) or larger telescope.

NGC 5557 — Galaxy in Boötes

Galaxy Fair (35/100)

Elliptical

Magnitude 11.1^m Galaxy Boötes (Boo) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 11.1

Angular Size 2.3′ × 1.1′

Position Angle 97°

Distance 150.36 million ly

Galaxy Type Elliptical (E1)

Description

cB, S, R, vsbM *

Position & Identifiers

RA 14h 18m 25.7s

Dec +36° 29' 37.0"

Constellation Boötes (Boo)

Catalog NGC 5557

2How easy to spot?

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Telescope	Bortle 3	Bortle 4	Bortle 5
80 mm refractor 80mm refr.	Medium	Hard+	Hard+
150 mm Newton 150mm Newt.	Easy	Medium+	Medium+
Celestron C8 (203 mm SCT) C8 203mm	Easy	Easy	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 5557 · 2.3′×1.1′ · 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 5533

Medium

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.8 1.2° Boötes

NGC 5580

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.70 1.4° Boötes

NGC 5582

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 3.2° Boötes

NGC 5444

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 3.3° Canes Venatici

25 CVn

Medium

Tight double — a rewarding split at 1.7″

Double Star mag 4.82 8.2° Canes Venatici

NGC 5466

Easy

Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars

Globular Cluster mag 9.1 8.4° Boötes

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