NGC 1618 is a spiral galaxy in Eridanus, 154 million light-years away
NGC 1618 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Eridanus , 154 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.7 and spans 2.1′ × 43″ of sky, about 95,600 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in January.
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 1618 from Rigel
Rigel
NGC 1618
ERIDANUS
NGC 1618 lies 10.8° northwest of Rigel , the magnitude 0.2 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 1618 is highest in the evening in January
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -2° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -2° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -21° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -36° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -43° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 31° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 21° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -53° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -45° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 57° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -50° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -63° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 67° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -0° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -56° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -73° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -57° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 52° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 77° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -59° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -83° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -60° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 57° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 87° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 1° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -87° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -30° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 83° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 58° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -28° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -77° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -58° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 55° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 30° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -67° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -27° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 56° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 63° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -57° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -46° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 53° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 44° 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 87°N.
NGC 1618 is 154 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 1618 tonight left it about 154 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 1618
85 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 1622, mixed spiral galaxy, 8′ NGC 1625, barred spiral galaxy, 18′ NGC 1637, late spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 1638, lenticular galaxy, 1.9° NGC 1600, elliptical galaxy, 2.2° NGC 1653, elliptical galaxy, 2.5° NGC 1620, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.0° NGC 1659, spiral galaxy, 3.1°
NGC 1618 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Eridanus Designations NGC 1618, 2MASX J04360657-0308553, IRAS 04336-0314, MCG -01-12-034, PGC 015611 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 04h 36.1m Declination (J2000) -03° 09′ Magnitude 12.7 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.1′ × 43″ Position angle 22° True size 95,600 light-years Distance 154 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,957 km/s, redshift 0.01667 Best with Large telescope Best month January Catalog page NGC 1501 to 2000
