NGC 661 is an elliptical galaxy in Triangulum
NGC 661 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Triangulum . It shines at magnitude 12.2 and spans 1.9′ × 1.4′. 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 661 from Mothallah
Mothallah
NGC 661
TRIANGULUM
NGC 661 lies 2.1° southwest of Mothallah , the magnitude 3.4 star. That is within one binocular field.
NGC 661 is highest in the evening in December
JAN
FEB
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APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
60°N
JAN at 60°N: 47° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 19° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 7° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -0° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 31° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 45° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 57° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 58° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 51° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 32° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 15° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -10° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -11° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 65° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 67° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 30° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 10° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -19° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -20° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -11° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: 6° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 27° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 50° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 72° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 75° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 52° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 27° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 5° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -16° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -30° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -19° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: 1° 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: 79° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 50° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -0° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -23° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -38° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -27° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 20° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 46° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 72° 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: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -5° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -30° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -47° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -34° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 16° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 42° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 66° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 68° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 40° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -36° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -56° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -59° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -41° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -15° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 36° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 59° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 33° 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: -42° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -65° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -68° 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: 6° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 48° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 49° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 26° 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: -71° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -76° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -51° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -24° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 1° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 23° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 39° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 40° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 18° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: -2° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -23° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -74° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -79° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -54° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -28° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -4° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 29° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 10° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -26° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -71° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -75° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -54° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -31° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -9° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 8° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 20° 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 61°S, and never sets north of 61°N.
The distance to NGC 661 is not well measured
No reliable distance has been measured for it yet.
Objects within 6° of NGC 661
70 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 672, barred spiral galaxy, 1.5° IC 1727, barred spiral galaxy, 1.5° NGC 684, spiral galaxy, 1.7° IC 136, star association, 2.9° M33 Triangulum Galaxy, late spiral galaxy, 3.0° IC 131, H II region, 3.1° NGC 784, barred spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 777, elliptical galaxy, 4.4°
NGC 661 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Triangulum Designations NGC 661, 2MASX J01441463+2842215, MCG +05-05-005, PGC 006376, UGC 01215 Type elliptical galaxy (E) Right ascension (J2000) 01h 44.2m Declination (J2000) +28° 42′ Magnitude 12.2 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 23.4 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 1.9′ × 1.4′ Position angle 56° Radial velocity 3,823 km/s, redshift 0.01283 Best with Large telescope Best month December Catalog page NGC 501 to 1000
