NGC 2959 is an early spiral galaxy in Ursa Major
NGC 2959 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major . It shines at magnitude 12.6 and spans 1.4′ × 1.2′. 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 2959 from Dubhe
Dubhe
NGC 2959
URSA MAJOR
NGC 2959 lies 10.6° northwest of Dubhe , the magnitude 1.8 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 2959 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: 58° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 78° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 80° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 49° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 69° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 31° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 14° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 5° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 16° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -5° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 0° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -25° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -23° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -43° 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 21°S, and never sets north of 21°N.
The distance to NGC 2959 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 2959
30 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2976, late spiral galaxy, 42′ M81 Bode's Galaxy, early spiral galaxy, 1.1° M82 Cigar Galaxy, spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 3077, spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 2787, lenticular galaxy, 2.4° NGC 2985, early spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 3027, late spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 2810, elliptical galaxy, 3.8°
NGC 2959 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 2959, 2MASX J09450901+6835400, IRAS 09409+6849, MCG +12-09-062, PGC 027939, SDSS J094508.92+683540.6, SDSS J094508.96+683540.4, UGC 05202 Type early spiral galaxy (Sab) Right ascension (J2000) 09h 45.1m Declination (J2000) +68° 36′ Magnitude 12.6 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.4′ × 1.2′ Position angle 113° Radial velocity 4,410 km/s, redshift 0.01482 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
