NGC 5551 is an elliptical galaxy in Virgo
NGC 5551 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Virgo . It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 49″ × 35″. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in June.
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 5551 from Arcturus
Arcturus
NGC 5551
VIRGO
NGC 5551 lies 13.8° south of Arcturus , the magnitude -0.1 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 5551 is highest in the evening in June
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -19° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -11° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -27° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 21° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -34° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 48° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 44° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 0° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 75° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 55° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -54° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -64° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 84° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 57° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -60° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -74° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -55° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 63° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 83° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 56° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -64° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -83° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -55° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 74° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 53° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -84° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 53° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 64° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -34° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -75° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 46° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -65° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -22° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -55° 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 85°S.
The distance to NGC 5551 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 5551
104 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 5560, spiral galaxy, 1.5° NGC 5566, barred spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 5546, elliptical galaxy, 2.1° NGC 5576, elliptical galaxy, 2.2° NGC 5574, lenticular galaxy, 2.3° NGC 5645, barred spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 5638, elliptical galaxy, 3.5° NGC 5668, late spiral galaxy, 3.7°
NGC 5551 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Virgo Designations NGC 5551, 2MASX J14185484+0527057, MCG +01-36-037, PGC 051139, SDSS J141854.83+052705.3 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 14h 18.9m Declination (J2000) +05° 27′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 49″ × 35″ Position angle 116° Radial velocity 7,498 km/s, redshift 0.02533 Best with Large telescope Best month June Catalog page NGC 5501 to 6000
