NGC 557 is a lenticular galaxy in Cetus
NGC 557 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Cetus . It shines at magnitude 14.0 and spans 1.5′ × 28″. 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 557 from θ Cet
θ Cet
NGC 557
CETUS
NGC 557 lies 6.6° north of θ Cet , the magnitude 3.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 557 is highest in the evening in November
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
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JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -31° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -30° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -22° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 28° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 27° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 6° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 27° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 36° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 47° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 45° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -40° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -59° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 54° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -67° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -65° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 65° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 63° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -74° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -71° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 73° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 69° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -47° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -76° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -73° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -44° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 77° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 73° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 12° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -45° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -72° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -70° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -13° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 75° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 71° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -42° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -65° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -63° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 68° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 65° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -38° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -55° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -36° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 40° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 59° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 57° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 32° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -46° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 49° 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 southern hemisphere and north to about 88°N.
The distance to NGC 557 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 557
81 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 541, elliptical galaxy, 19′ NGC 547, elliptical galaxy, 19′ NGC 545, lenticular galaxy, 19′ NGC 564, elliptical galaxy, 25′ IC 104, double star, 30′ NGC 493, late spiral galaxy, 2.8° NGC 450, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.8° NGC 521, spiral galaxy, 3.4°
NGC 557 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cetus Designations NGC 557, 2MASX J01262516-0138195, MCG +00-04-144, PGC 005351, SDSS J012625.12-013819.2, UGC 01016 Type lenticular galaxy (S0-a) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 26.4m Declination (J2000) -01° 38′ Magnitude 14.0 Surface brightness 24.6 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.5′ × 28″ Position angle 136° Radial velocity 5,555 km/s, redshift 0.0187 Best with Large telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
