NGC 261 is a nebula in Tucana
NGC 261 (ESO 029-012) is a nebula in the constellation Tucana . It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.3′ × 1.1′. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in November.
Nebula: a cloud of gas and dust. Emission nebulae glow on their own, lit by ultraviolet light from hot young stars; reflection nebulae shine by starlight scattered from dust; dark nebulae block the light behind them.
Finding NGC 261 from β Hyi
β Hyi
NGC 261
TUCANA
NGC 261 lies 4.4° north of β Hyi , the magnitude 2.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 261 is highest in the evening in November
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: -49° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -56° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -63° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -72° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -77° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -73° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -65° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -57° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -44° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -47° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -55° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -63° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -67° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -57° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -48° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -40° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: -30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -45° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -25° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: -20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -36° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -15° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -13° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -15° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -37° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -27° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -25° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 7° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 5° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 0° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 25° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 3° 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: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 37° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 36° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 47° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 45° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 38° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 25° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 29° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 46° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 57° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 54° 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 17°N, and never sets south of 17°S.
The distance to NGC 261 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 261
54 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 290, open cluster, 21′ NGC 265, open cluster, 23′ NGC 242, open cluster, 24′ NGC 256, open cluster, 24′ NGC 269, open cluster, 27′ NGC 292 Small Magellanic Cloud, barred spiral galaxy, 32′ NGC 294, open cluster, 33′ NGC 330, open cluster, 58′
NGC 261 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Tucana Designations NGC 261, ESO 029-012, IRAS 00447-7322 Type nebula Right ascension (J2000) 00h 46.5m Declination (J2000) -73° 06′ Magnitude 13.0 Apparent size 1.3′ × 1.1′ Position angle 110° Best with Large telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 1 to 500
