NGC 3669 is a late spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 74 million light-years away
NGC 3669 is a late spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 74 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.8′ × 27″ of sky, about 38,600 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in 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 3669 from Merak
Merak
NGC 3669
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3669 lies 3.5° northeast of Merak , the magnitude 2.3 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 3669 is highest in the evening in April
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 68° 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: 66° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 53° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 41° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 35° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 79° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 78° 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: 33° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 23° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 42° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 57° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 69° 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: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 9° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 15° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 19° 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: 61° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 60° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 48° 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: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -1° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 6° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 41° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 50° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 8° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 2° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 32° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 30° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -21° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -12° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 31° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 31° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 7° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -21° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 21° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -1° 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: -41° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -30° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -10° 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: -51° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -39° 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: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 1° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -18° 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: -61° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -60° 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: -24° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -15° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -27° 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: -70° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -69° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -55° 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 32°S, and never sets north of 32°N.
NGC 3669 is 74 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3669 tonight left it about 74 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 3669
92 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 3683A, late spiral galaxy, 47′ NGC 3619, lenticular galaxy, 49′ NGC 3683, barred spiral galaxy, 53′ NGC 3690, galaxy pair, 56′ NGC 3690B, barred spiral galaxy, 56′ IC 694, elliptical galaxy, 57′ NGC 3613, elliptical galaxy, 57′ NGC 3610, elliptical galaxy, 1.4°
NGC 3669 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3669, 2MASX J11252681+5743161, IRAS 11226+5759, MCG +10-16-135, PGC 035113, SDSS J112526.76+574316.4, SDSS J112526.76+574316.5, UGC 06431 Type late spiral galaxy (Scd) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 25.4m Declination (J2000) +57° 43′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.8′ × 27″ Position angle 154° True size 38,600 light-years Distance 74 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,840 km/s, redshift 0.0062 Best with Large telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
