The sky around NGC 7218, 3° across, north up NGC 7230 low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 7218 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 7218

NGC 7218

Late spiral galaxy in Aquarius

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

AQUARIUS

The box shows where NGC 7218 sits in Aquarius.

Constellation
AquariusAqr
Magnitude
11.9visual
Size
2.6′ × 1.1′about 54,500 light-years
Distance
74 million lylight-years
Best month
Octoberat 9 pm
Best with
Telescope

NGC 7218 is a late spiral galaxy in Aquarius, 74 million light-years away

NGC 7218 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Aquarius, 74 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.9 and spans 2.6′ × 1.1′ of sky, about 54,500 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in October.

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 7218 from Deneb Algedi

Deneb Algedi NGC 7218 AQUARIUS

NGC 7218 lies 5.6° east of Deneb Algedi, the magnitude 2.9 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.

NGC 7218 is highest in the evening in October

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 8° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -37° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -51° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -56° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -46° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -58° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -66° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -7° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -64° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -76° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -66° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -84° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 15° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -65° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -81° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 63° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -72° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 72° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -54° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -46° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 66° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 81° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 67° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 83° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 55° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 39° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 65° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 76° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 59° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 66° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 51° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 29° 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 southern hemisphere and north to about 73°N, and never sets south of 73°S.

NGC 7218 is 74 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 7218 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 7218

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

NGC 7218 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationAquarius
DesignationsNGC 7218, 2MASX J22101171-1639395, IRAS 22074-1654, MCG -03-56-008, PGC 068199
Typelate spiral galaxy (Sc)
Right ascension (J2000)22h 10.2m
Declination (J2000)-16° 40′
Magnitude11.9 (B 12.0)
Surface brightness22.4 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size2.6′ × 1.1′
Position angle35°
True size54,500 light-years
Distance74 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023))
Radial velocity1,659 km/s, redshift 0.00555
Best withTelescope
Best monthOctober
Catalog pageNGC 7001 to 7500