NGC 2553 is an early spiral galaxy in Cancer, 215 million light-years away
NGC 2553 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Cancer , 215 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.1′ × 40″ of sky, about 69,500 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in March.
Galaxy: a system of billions of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity, far outside the Milky Way. Spiral galaxies have a disk with arms; elliptical galaxies are smooth, round or oval swarms of older stars.
Finding NGC 2553 from Pollux
Pollux
NGC 2553
CANCER
NGC 2553 lies 10.2° southeast of Pollux , the magnitude 1.2 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 2553 is highest in the evening in March
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 61° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 71° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 80° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 14° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 67° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 87° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 3° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -37° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 64° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 79° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -50° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 58° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 69° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -57° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -69° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -78° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -37° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -66° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -86° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -14° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -80° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm
below horizon
low
20-40°
40-60°
overhead-ish
The chart gives its height above the horizon at 9 pm through the year, from 60°N to 40°S. It can be seen from the whole northern hemisphere and south to about 69°S, and never sets north of 69°N.
NGC 2553 is 215 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2553 tonight left it about 215 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2553
195 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2563, lenticular galaxy, 43′ NGC 2545, early spiral galaxy, 54′ NGC 2565, spiral galaxy, 1.2° IC 2281, star, 2.0° NGC 2577, lenticular galaxy, 2.0° NGC 2595, late spiral galaxy, 2.4° NGC 2554, lenticular galaxy, 2.6° NGC 2599, early spiral galaxy, 3.8°
NGC 2553 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cancer Designations NGC 2553, 2MASX J08173503+2054116, MCG +04-20-014, PGC 023240, SDSS J081734.99+205411.0, SDSS J081735.00+205411.0, SDSS J081735.00+205411.1 Type early spiral galaxy (Sa) Right ascension (J2000) 08h 17.6m Declination (J2000) +20° 54′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.1′ × 40″ Position angle 57° True size 69,500 light-years Distance 215 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,677 km/s, redshift 0.01572 Best with Large telescope Best month March Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
