NGC 3917 is a late spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 56 million light-years away
NGC 3917 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 56 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.8 and spans 4.6′ × 1′ of sky, about 74,700 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in May.
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 3917 from Phecda
Phecda
NGC 3917
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3917 lies 1.9° south of Phecda , the magnitude 2.4 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 3917 is highest in the evening in May
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 48° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 62° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 76° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 80° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 59° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 78° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 83° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 12° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 76° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 2° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 64° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 53° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -8° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -17° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -15° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 37° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -28° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -55° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 8° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -64° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -67° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -2° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -36° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -72° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -76° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -60° 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 38°S, and never sets north of 38°N.
NGC 3917 is 56 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3917 tonight left it about 56 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 3917
76 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3953, spiral galaxy, 41′ NGC 4026, lenticular galaxy, 1.6° M109 Messier 109, spiral galaxy, 1.9° NGC 4102, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 4088, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.7° NGC 4085, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.7° NGC 3729, early spiral galaxy, 2.9° NGC 3718, early spiral galaxy, 3.0°
NGC 3917 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3917, 2MASX J11504548+5149271, IRAS 11481+5206, MCG +09-20-008, PGC 037036, SDSS J115045.43+514928.7, UGC 06815 Type late spiral galaxy (Sc) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 50.8m Declination (J2000) +51° 49′ Magnitude 11.8 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.3 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 4.6′ × 1′ Position angle 76° True size 74,700 light-years Distance 56 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 907 km/s, redshift 0.00303 Best with Telescope Best month May Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
