The sky around NGC 3501, 3° across, north up NGC 3507 NGC 3487 NGC 3473 low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 3501 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 3501

NGC 3501

Late spiral galaxy in Leo

Late spiral galaxy in Leo, 74 million light-years away.

LEO

The box shows where NGC 3501 sits in Leo.

Constellation
LeoLeo
Magnitude
13.0visual
Size
4.3′ × 39″about 92,100 light-years
Distance
74 million lylight-years
Best month
Aprilat 9 pm
Best with
Large telescope

NGC 3501 is a late spiral galaxy in Leo, 74 million light-years away

NGC 3501 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, 74 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 4.3′ × 39″ of sky, about 92,100 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 3501 from Zosma

Zosma NGC 3501 LEO

NGC 3501 lies 3.7° southwest of Zosma, the magnitude 2.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.

NGC 3501 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: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 57° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -8° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 67° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 61° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -28° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 83° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -46° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -26° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 52° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 79° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -44° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -31° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 49° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -71° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -54° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -79° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -66° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -38° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 26° 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: -55° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -83° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -68° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -76° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -40° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -67° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -40° 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 72°S, and never sets north of 72°N.

NGC 3501 is 74 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 3501 tonight left it about 74 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).

Objects within 6° of NGC 3501

87 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

NGC 3501 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationLeo
DesignationsNGC 3501, 2MASX J11024730+1759223, MCG +03-28-051, PGC 033343, SDSS J110247.26+175921.6, UGC 06116
Typelate spiral galaxy (Sc)
Right ascension (J2000)11h 02.8m
Declination (J2000)+17° 59′
Magnitude13.0
Surface brightness23.9 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size4.3′ × 39″
Position angle27°
True size92,100 light-years
Distance74 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023))
Radial velocity1,129 km/s, redshift 0.00377
Best withLarge telescope
Best monthApril
Catalog pageNGC 3501 to 4000