NGC 523 is a spiral galaxy in Andromeda, 198 million light-years away
NGC 523 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Andromeda , 198 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.7 and spans 2.5′ × 43″ of sky, about 145,400 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in November.
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 523 from Mirach
Mirach
NGC 523
ANDROMEDA
NGC 523 lies 3.6° southeast of Mirach , the magnitude 2.1 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 523 is highest in the evening in November
JAN
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 22° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 38° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 52° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 63° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 62° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 52° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 16° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 55° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 72° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 70° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -15° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 34° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 56° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 79° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 75° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 4° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -25° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -24° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 79° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 75° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -20° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 50° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 72° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 69° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -8° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 64° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 61° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -54° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -52° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -35° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 52° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -63° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -61° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -24° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -50° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -72° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -69° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 33° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -78° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -26° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -3° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 14° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 25° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 24° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 4° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -55° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -78° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -30° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 15° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 14° 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 56°S, and never sets north of 56°N.
NGC 523 is 198 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 523 tonight left it about 198 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 523
158 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 529, lenticular galaxy, 42′ NGC 536, spiral galaxy, 43′ NGC 499, lenticular galaxy, 43′ NGC 507, lenticular galaxy, 51′ NGC 634, early spiral galaxy, 3.0° NGC 410, elliptical galaxy, 3.1° NGC 452, barred spiral galaxy, 3.6° IC 131, H II region, 3.7°
NGC 523 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Andromeda Designations NGC 523, 2MASX J01252074+3401305, IRAS 01225+3345, MCG +06-04-018, PGC 005268, SDSS J012520.75+340129.8, UGC 00979 Type spiral galaxy (Sbc) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 25.3m Declination (J2000) +34° 01′ Magnitude 12.7 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.2 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2.5′ × 43″ Position angle 104° True size 145,400 light-years Distance 198 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 4,824 km/s, redshift 0.01622 Best with Large telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
