When is the best time to observe NGC 6954?

NGC 6954 is best observed from June through August, with peak visibility during July when it transits around midnight in the Northern Hemisphere.

Where is NGC 6954 located in the sky?

NGC 6954 lies in the constellation Delphinus at right ascension 20h 44m and declination +03° 13′.

What telescope do I need to see NGC 6954?

At magnitude 13.2, NGC 6954 is a challenging target that needs at least an 8-inch (200 mm) telescope and dark skies.

NGC 6954 — Galaxy in Delphinus

Galaxy Fair (33/100)

Lenticular

Magnitude 13.2^m Galaxy Delphinus (Del) Visible

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1Properties

Magnitude 13.2

Angular Size 1.3′ × 0.8′

Position Angle 84°

Distance 188.20 million ly

Galaxy Type Lenticular (S0-a)

Description

F, S, vlE

Position & Identifiers

RA 20h 44m 03.2s

Dec +03° 12' 33.8"

Constellation Delphinus (Del)

Catalog NGC 6954

2How easy to spot?

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

4 Eyepiece View

Telescope Eyepiece

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125x TFOV: 0.4° Lim. mag: 13.6

Seeing Bortle

NGC 6954 · 1.3′×0.8′ · 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.

13 Del

Hard+

Tight double — a rewarding split at 1.5″

Double Star mag 5.58 3.0° Delphinus

NGC 6962

Hard+

Bright spiral galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.0 3.0° Aquarius

NGC 6964

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 12.7 3.0° Aquarius

NGC 6934

Easy

Globular cluster — dense ball of ancient stars

Globular Cluster mag 8.9 4.9° Delphinus

NGC 6945

Hard+

Elliptical galaxy

Galaxy mag 13.0 8.3° Aquarius

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