When is the best time to observe NGC 5580?

NGC 5580 is best observed from March through May, with peak visibility during April when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 5580 located in the sky?

NGC 5580 lies in the constellation Boötes at right ascension 14h 21m and declination +35° 13′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 5580?

At magnitude 12.7, NGC 5580 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 5580 — Galaxy in Boötes

Galaxy Fair (28/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 12.7^m Galaxy Boötes (Boo) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 12.70

Angular Size 1.5′ × 1.4′

Position Angle 137°

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0)

Description

pB, S, f of 2

Position & Identifiers

RA 14h 20m 42.0s

Dec +35° 13' 00.0"

Constellation Boötes (Boo)

Catalog NGC 5580

2How easy to spot?

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

Set a location in User Settings to see visibility data.

Best season Mar – May (peak: Apr)

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 5580 · 1.5′×1.4′ · N up, E left

5 Best Magnification

Explore

6 Surface Brightness

7 Morphology Decoder

8 Inclination & True Shape

9 Redshift

10 Size Comparator

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 0.9° Boötes

NGC 5557

Medium+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 11.1 1.4° Boötes

NGC 5623

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 2.4° Boötes

NGC 5444

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 3.5° Canes Venatici

NGC 5466

Easy

Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars

Globular Cluster mag 9.1 7.4° Boötes

25 CVn

Medium

Tight double — a rewarding split at 1.7″

Double Star mag 4.82 8.8° Canes Venatici

34 Boo

Medium

Semi-regular variable, range 4.7–5.4

Variable Star mag 4.81 10.0° Boötes

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