NGC 2954 is an elliptical galaxy in Leo, 144 million light-years away
NGC 2954 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Leo , 144 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.3 and spans 1.4′ × 59″ of sky, about 60,000 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 2954 from Regulus
Regulus
NGC 2954
LEO
NGC 2954 lies 7.4° northwest of Regulus , the magnitude 1.4 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 2954 is highest in the evening in April
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 0° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 68° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 73° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -32° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 72° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -60° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 67° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -68° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 60° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -74° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -76° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -74° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -76° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -48° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 1° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -22° 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 75°S, and never sets north of 75°N.
NGC 2954 is 144 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2954 tonight left it about 144 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2954
63 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2954 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Leo Designations NGC 2954, 2MASX J09402405+1455215, MCG +03-25-019, PGC 027600, SDSS J094024.08+145521.4, UGC 05155 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 09h 40.4m Declination (J2000) +14° 55′ Magnitude 12.3 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.4′ × 59″ Position angle 155° True size 60,000 light-years Distance 144 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 3,792 km/s, redshift 0.01273 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
