NGC 3428 is a spiral galaxy in Leo, 400 million light-years away
NGC 3428 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo , 400 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.4′ × 36″ of sky, about 162,900 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 3428 from Regulus
Regulus
NGC 3428
LEO
NGC 3428 lies 10.9° east of Regulus , the magnitude 1.4 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 3428 is highest in the evening in April
JAN
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APR
MAY
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JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 5° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -23° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 0° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 78° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 64° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 85° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -51° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -31° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 80° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -55° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -80° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -86° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 52° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -79° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 36° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -59° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -32° 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 81°S.
NGC 3428 is 400 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3428 tonight left it about 400 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 3428
94 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
M96 Messier 96, early spiral galaxy, 2.8° M95 Messier 95, spiral galaxy, 3.1° NGC 3389, late spiral galaxy, 3.3° M105 Messier 105, elliptical galaxy, 3.4° NGC 3423, late spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 3384, lenticular galaxy, 3.4° NGC 3412, lenticular galaxy, 4.1° NGC 3367, late spiral galaxy, 4.6°
NGC 3428 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Leo Designations NGC 3428, 2MASX J10512951+0916464, MCG +02-28-022, PGC 032552, SDSS J105129.50+091646.2, UGC 05968 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 10h 51.5m Declination (J2000) +09° 17′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 22.9 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.4′ × 36″ Position angle 167° True size 162,900 light-years Distance 400 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 7,886 km/s, redshift 0.02666 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3001 to 3500
