NGC 2556 is an elliptical galaxy in Cancer, 183 million light-years away
NGC 2556 (PGC 023325) is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Cancer , 183 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 37″ × 24″ of sky, about 32,900 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 2556 from Pollux
Pollux
NGC 2556
CANCER
NGC 2556 lies 10.4° southeast of Pollux , the magnitude 1.2 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 2556 is highest in the evening in March
JAN
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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: 14° 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: 18° 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: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -9° 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: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 16° 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: 81° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 59° 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: -15° 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: -30° 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: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 4° 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: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -26° 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: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 32° 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°: -3° 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°: -24° 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: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -34° 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: -56° 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: 22° 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: 38° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -37° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -65° 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: 16° 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: -13° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -38° 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: 10° 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: 22° 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: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -71° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -33° 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 2556 is 183 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2556 tonight left it about 183 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2556
196 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, 23′ NGC 2565, spiral galaxy, 1.1° NGC 2545, early spiral galaxy, 1.2° NGC 2577, lenticular galaxy, 1.8° IC 2281, star, 2.0° NGC 2595, late spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 2554, lenticular galaxy, 2.5° NGC 2599, early spiral galaxy, 3.5°
NGC 2556 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cancer Designations NGC 2556, PGC 023325, 2MASX J08190087+2056133, SDSS J081900.85+205613.0, SDSS J081900.85+205613.1 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 08h 19.0m Declination (J2000) +20° 56′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 37″ × 24″ Position angle 126° True size 32,900 light-years Distance 183 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,566 km/s, redshift 0.01535 Best with Large telescope Best month March Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
