NGC 2938 is a late spiral galaxy in Draco, 136 million light-years away
NGC 2938 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Draco , 136 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.2′ × 51″ of sky, about 48,900 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in April.
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 2938 from Polaris
Polaris
NGC 2938
DRACO
NGC 2938 lies 13.9° east of Polaris , the magnitude 2.0 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 2938 is highest in the evening in April
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 73° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 26° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -23° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -29° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -26° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -20° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -25° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -42° 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 14°S, and never sets north of 14°N.
NGC 2938 is 136 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2938 tonight left it about 136 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2938
58 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2748, spiral galaxy, 1.5° NGC 2715, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.4° IC 529, late spiral galaxy, 2.9° NGC 2655, lenticular galaxy, 3.0° NGC 2732, lenticular galaxy, 3.2° NGC 3183, barred spiral galaxy, 3.5° NGC 2591, late spiral galaxy, 3.8° NGC 3147, spiral galaxy, 3.8°
NGC 2938 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Draco Designations NGC 2938, 2MASX J09382377+7619106, MCG +13-07-032, PGC 027473, UGC 05115 Type late spiral galaxy (Sc) Right ascension (J2000) 09h 38.4m Declination (J2000) +76° 19′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.2′ × 51″ Position angle 97° True size 48,900 light-years Distance 136 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,272 km/s, redshift 0.0076 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
