NGC 3549 is a barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 136 million light-years away
NGC 3549 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 136 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.1 and spans 2.6′ × 52″ of sky, about 104,600 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 3549 from Merak
Merak
NGC 3549
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3549 lies 3.3° southeast of Merak , the magnitude 2.3 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 3549 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: 41° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 82° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 83° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 22° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 75° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 36° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 66° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 4° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -14° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 14° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -22° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 18° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -31° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -62° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -61° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -75° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -53° 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 37°S, and never sets north of 37°N.
NGC 3549 is 136 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3549 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 3549
63 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3631, late spiral galaxy, 1.5° M97 Owl Nebula, planetary nebula, 1.7° M108 Surfboard Galaxy, late spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 3448, spiral galaxy, 2.6° NGC 3718, early spiral galaxy, 3.3° NGC 3729, early spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 3733, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.8° NGC 3738, irregular galaxy, 3.8°
NGC 3549 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3549, 2MASX J11105690+5323155, IRAS 11080+5339, MCG +09-18-097, PGC 033964, SDSS J111056.86+532316.1, SDSS J111056.87+532315.9, SDSS J111056.87+532316.0 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBc) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 10.9m Declination (J2000) +53° 23′ Magnitude 12.1 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 22.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.6′ × 52″ Position angle 39° True size 104,600 light-years Distance 136 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,835 km/s, redshift 0.0095 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
