NGC 2855 is a lenticular galaxy in Hydra, 73 million light-years away
NGC 2855 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Hydra , 73 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 11.0 and spans 3.5′ × 1.9′ of sky, about 73,300 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, and it is highest in the evening sky in March.
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 2855 from Alphard
Alphard
NGC 2855
HYDRA
NGC 2855 lies 3.6° southwest of Alphard , the magnitude 2.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 2855 is highest in the evening in March
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 9° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -4° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -33° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -41° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -30° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -2° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -39° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -51° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -49° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 7° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 1° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -58° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 33° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 28° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -47° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -69° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -65° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 56° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 7° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -76° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -71° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 65° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 9° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -79° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -72° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 73° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -74° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -68° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 77° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -65° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -37° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -9° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 51° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 75° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 44° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 68° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 43° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 45° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 60° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 58° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 40° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -37° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -1° 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 78°N, and never sets south of 78°S.
NGC 2855 is 73 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 2855 tonight left it about 73 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 2855
33 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 2889, mixed spiral galaxy, 1.4° NGC 2781, lenticular galaxy, 3.8° NGC 2811, barred spiral galaxy, 4.6° NGC 2848, mixed spiral galaxy, 4.6° NGC 2763, barred spiral galaxy, 5.1° NGC 2907, early spiral galaxy, 5.4°
NGC 2855 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Hydra Designations NGC 2855, 2MASX J09212749-1154341, IRAS 09190-1141, MCG -02-24-015, PGC 026483, UGCA 161 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 09h 21.5m Declination (J2000) -11° 55′ Magnitude 11.0 (B 12.0) Surface brightness 23.8 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 3.5′ × 1.9′ Position angle 120° True size 73,300 light-years Distance 73 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,904 km/s, redshift 0.00637 Best with Telescope Best month March Catalog page NGC 2501 to 3000
