NGC 656 is a lenticular galaxy in Pisces
NGC 656 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Pisces . It shines at magnitude 13.0 and spans 1.3′ × 1.1′. 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 656 from Hamal
Hamal
NGC 656
PISCES
NGC 656 lies 6.2° northwest of Hamal , the magnitude 2.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 656 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 17° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 4° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -3° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 29° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 55° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 13° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -12° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -13° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -5° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 63° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 64° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 28° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 8° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -23° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -13° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 71° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 51° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 25° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 3° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -18° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -21° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 24° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 75° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 78° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 22° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -2° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -25° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -41° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -42° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -6° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 74° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 76° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -6° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -32° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -52° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -35° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 70° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -11° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -37° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -61° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 12° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 61° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 34° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 9° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -15° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -70° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 7° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 52° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 27° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -19° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -73° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -77° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -23° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 3° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 25° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 41° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -48° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -74° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -78° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -53° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -27° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 12° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -73° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -52° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -29° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 11° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 23° 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 64°S, and never sets north of 64°N.
The distance to NGC 656 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 656
53 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
IC 1727, barred spiral galaxy, 1.6° NGC 672, barred spiral galaxy, 1.8° NGC 684, spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 661, elliptical galaxy, 2.6° NGC 765, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.9° NGC 674, mixed spiral galaxy, 4.3° NGC 678, barred spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 680, elliptical galaxy, 4.5°
NGC 656 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Pisces Designations NGC 656, 2MASX J01422722+2608350, MCG +04-05-002, PGC 006293, UGC 01194 Type lenticular galaxy (S0) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 42.5m Declination (J2000) +26° 09′ Magnitude 13.0 Surface brightness 22.8 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.3′ × 1.1′ Position angle 32° Radial velocity 3,910 km/s, redshift 0.01312 Best with Large telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
