NGC 649 is an early spiral galaxy in Cetus, 303 million light-years away
NGC 649 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus , 303 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 15.0 and spans 1.1′ × 23″ of sky, about 94,400 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in December.
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 649 from θ Cet
θ Cet
NGC 649
CETUS
NGC 649 lies 4.1° east of θ Cet , the magnitude 3.6 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 649 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
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DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -29° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -38° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -30° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 12° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 19° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -34° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -48° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -36° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 39° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 32° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 8° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -42° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -66° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -45° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 31° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 48° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 37° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 11° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -73° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 36° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 57° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 58° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -73° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -77° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 40° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 65° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 66° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -13° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -71° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -74° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -46° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 72° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 73° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 16° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -64° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -67° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 74° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 76° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -58° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -39° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 71° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 73° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 44° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -30° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 65° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 66° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -24° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -27° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 39° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 56° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 57° 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 81°N.
NGC 649 is 303 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 649 tonight left it about 303 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 649
66 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 636, elliptical galaxy, 1.8° NGC 615, spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 681, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.5° NGC 600, late spiral galaxy, 2.6° NGC 701, barred spiral galaxy, 2.7° NGC 596, elliptical galaxy, 2.9° NGC 584, elliptical galaxy, 3.2° IC 127, spiral galaxy, 3.4°
NGC 649 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cetus Designations NGC 649, 2MASX J01400745-0916196, MCG -02-05-034, PGC 006169, SDSS J014007.45-091619.5, SDSS J014007.45-091619.6 Type early spiral galaxy (Sa) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 40.1m Declination (J2000) -09° 16′ Magnitude 15.0 Surface brightness 23.7 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.1′ × 23″ Position angle 22° True size 94,400 light-years Distance 303 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 7,375 km/s, redshift 0.02491 Best with Large telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
