NGC 3668 is a barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 248 million light-years away
NGC 3668 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 248 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.8′ × 1.1′ of sky, about 131,200 light-years across. 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 3668 from Dubhe
Dubhe
NGC 3668
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3668 lies 3.0° northeast of Dubhe , the magnitude 1.8 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 3668 is highest in the evening in April
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 69° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 83° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 81° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 68° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 56° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 39° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 39° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 75° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 74° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 62° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 55° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 65° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 65° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 54° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 35° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 55° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 13° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -0° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 36° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 35° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -15° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 26° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 25° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 18° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -26° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -25° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -18° 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: 9° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 8° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -36° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -35° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 6° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -25° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -45° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -36° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: -32° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -34° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -45° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -20° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -43° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -56° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -65° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -64° 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 27°S, and never sets north of 27°N.
NGC 3668 is 248 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3668 tonight left it about 248 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 3668
55 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3682, lenticular galaxy, 3.2° NGC 3945, lenticular galaxy, 4.3° NGC 3359, late spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 3642, spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 4041, spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 4036, lenticular galaxy, 4.4° NGC 3610, elliptical galaxy, 4.7° IC 694, elliptical galaxy, 4.9°
NGC 3668 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3668, 2MASX J11253042+6326464, IRAS 11225+6343, MCG +11-14-023, PGC 035123, SDSS J112530.42+632647.0, SDSS J112530.44+632646.7, SDSS J112530.44+632646.8 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBbc) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 25.5m Declination (J2000) +63° 27′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.8 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.8′ × 1.1′ Position angle 133° True size 131,200 light-years Distance 248 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 3,425 km/s, redshift 0.01149 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
