NGC 658 is a spiral galaxy in Pisces, 137 million light-years away
NGC 658 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces , 137 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.4 and spans 1.5′ × 53″ of sky, about 58,900 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 658 from Sheratan
Sheratan
NGC 658
PISCES
NGC 658 lies 8.7° south of Sheratan , the magnitude 2.6 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.
NGC 658 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: 33° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -16° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -17° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 41° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 42° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 38° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 2° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -15° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -26° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -1° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 37° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 43° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -1° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -22° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -35° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -36° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -24° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 41° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 59° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 60° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 46° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -4° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -28° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -46° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 18° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 67° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 69° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -7° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -33° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -53° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -55° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -37° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -11° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 17° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 45° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 73° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 75° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -38° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -61° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -64° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -42° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 15° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 44° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 74° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 77° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 45° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -12° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -68° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -72° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -46° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -17° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 13° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 69° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 72° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 41° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -72° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -77° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -48° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 38° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 62° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 64° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 36° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 10° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -16° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -44° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -71° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -76° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 8° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 34° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 54° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 55° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -43° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -66° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -69° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -47° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -21° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 28° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 45° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 46° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 23° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 3° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -58° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -60° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -44° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -21° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 2° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 22° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 35° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 36° 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 77°S, and never sets north of 77°N.
NGC 658 is 137 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 658 tonight left it about 137 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 658
66 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 660, early spiral galaxy, 1.1° NGC 677, elliptical galaxy, 1.8° NGC 665, lenticular galaxy, 2.3° M74 Phantom Galaxy, late spiral galaxy, 3.4° NGC 514, mixed spiral galaxy, 4.4° NGC 524, lenticular galaxy, 5.2° NGC 532, early spiral galaxy, 5.3°
NGC 658 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Pisces Designations NGC 658, 2MASX J01420965+1236069, IRAS 01394+1220, MCG +02-05-009, PGC 006275, UGC 01192 Type spiral galaxy (Sb) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 42.2m Declination (J2000) +12° 36′ Magnitude 12.4 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 22.5 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.5′ × 53″ Position angle 21° True size 58,900 light-years Distance 137 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 2,951 km/s, redshift 0.00989 Best with Large telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
