NGC 3683 is a barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, 106 million light-years away
NGC 3683 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major , 106 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.0 and spans 1.7′ × 43″ of sky, about 53,500 light-years across. It is a telescope object, 6 inches or larger, 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 3683 from Merak
Merak
NGC 3683
URSA MAJOR
NGC 3683 lies 3.6° east of Merak , the magnitude 2.3 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 3683 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: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 67° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 82° 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: 52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 40° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 28° 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: 63° 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: 17° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 24° 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: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 70° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 56° 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: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 8° 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: 61° 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: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -2° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 10° 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: 52° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° 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: -12° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -4° 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: 42° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 31° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -22° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: -7° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 23° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 32° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 22° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -24° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -31° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -22° 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: 22° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 22° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -1° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -33° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -31° 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: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 12° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -52° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -40° 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: 2° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -5° 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: -62° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -61° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -48° 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: -8° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -41° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -71° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -56° 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 33°S, and never sets north of 33°N.
NGC 3683 is 106 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 3683 tonight left it about 106 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 3683
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, 20′ NGC 3619, lenticular galaxy, 1.4° NGC 3613, elliptical galaxy, 1.6° NGC 3690, galaxy pair, 1.7° NGC 3690B, barred spiral galaxy, 1.7° IC 694, elliptical galaxy, 1.7° NGC 3780, late spiral galaxy, 1.7° NGC 3610, elliptical galaxy, 2.3°
NGC 3683 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Ursa Major Designations NGC 3683, 2MASX J11273188+5652361, IRAS 11247+5709, MCG +10-16-143, PGC 035249, SDSS J112731.84+565237.3, SDSS J112731.84+565237.4, SDSS J112731.85+565237.4 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBc) Right ascension (J2000) 11h 27.5m Declination (J2000) +56° 53′ Magnitude 12.0 Surface brightness 22.1 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.7′ × 43″ Position angle 124° True size 53,500 light-years Distance 106 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 1,722 km/s, redshift 0.00576 Best with Telescope Best month April Catalog page NGC 3501 to 4000
