NGC 3642 is a spiral galaxy in Ursa Major
NGC 3642 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major . It shines at magnitude 12.1 and spans 4.3′ × 3.7′. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in April.
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 3642 from Dubhe
Dubhe
NGC 3642
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3642 lies 3.5° southeast of Dubhe , the magnitude 1.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 3642 is highest in the evening in April
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 44° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 69° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 84° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 35° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 78° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 77° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 34° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 26° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 69° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 17° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 60° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 47° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 17° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 0° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 50° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -10° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -9° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -20° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 29° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 20° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -30° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -29° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -20° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -2° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -39° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -41° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -31° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -16° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 0° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -0° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -7° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -60° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -42° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -68° 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 northern hemisphere and south to about 31°S, and never sets north of 31°N.
The distance to NGC 3642 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 3642
87 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3610, elliptical galaxy, 35′ IC 694, elliptical galaxy, 56′ NGC 3690, galaxy pair, 57′ NGC 3690B, barred spiral galaxy, 58′ NGC 3613, elliptical galaxy, 1.2° NGC 3619, lenticular galaxy, 1.4° NGC 3683A, late spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 3683, barred spiral galaxy, 2.3°
NGC 3642 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3642, 2MASX J11221801+5904272, IRAS 11194+5920, MCG +10-16-128, PGC 034889, SDSS J112217.89+590428.2, SDSS J112217.89+590428.3, UGC 06385 Type spiral galaxy (Sbc) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 22.3m Declination (J2000) +59° 04′ Magnitude 12.1 (B 11.0) Surface brightness 23.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 4.3′ × 3.7′ Position angle 120° Radial velocity 1,583 km/s, redshift 0.00529 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
