NGC 568 is a lenticular galaxy in Sculptor, 259 million light-years away
NGC 568 (ESO 353-003) is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Sculptor , 259 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.6 and spans 2′ × 1.2′ of sky, about 153,700 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 568 from γ Phe
γ Phe
NGC 568
SCULPTOR
NGC 568 lies 7.6° north of γ Phe , the magnitude 3.4 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 568 is highest in the evening in November
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: -13° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -53° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -52° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -37° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -23° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -12° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -6° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -7° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -20° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -36° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -56° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -72° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -71° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -54° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -4° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 4° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 3° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 3° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -14° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -33° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -56° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -78° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -76° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -54° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 4° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 13° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -53° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -77° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 13° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 23° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 22° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -24° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -69° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -22° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 33° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 32° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -60° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 29° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 43° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -52° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -51° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -34° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 36° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 52° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 51° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -27° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 62° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 60° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -33° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -32° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 25° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 71° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 68° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 26° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -12° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 53° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 78° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 75° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 53° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 12° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -13° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 34° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 56° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 79° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 76° 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 54°N, and never sets south of 54°S.
NGC 568 is 259 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 568 tonight left it about 259 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 568
42 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 623, elliptical galaxy, 1.6° NGC 491, barred spiral galaxy, 2.1° IC 1657, barred spiral galaxy, 4.2° NGC 439, lenticular galaxy, 4.9° NGC 625, barred spiral galaxy, 5.9°
NGC 568 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Sculptor Designations NGC 568, ESO 353-003, 2MASX J01275699-3543039, ESO-LV 353-0030, MCG -06-04-037, PGC 005468 Type lenticular galaxy (E-S0) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 28.0m Declination (J2000) -35° 43′ Magnitude 12.6 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.8 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 2′ × 1.2′ Position angle 137° True size 153,700 light-years Distance 259 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 5,590 km/s, redshift 0.01882 Best with Large telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
