NGC 217 is a barred spiral galaxy in Cetus, 179 million light-years away
NGC 217 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Cetus , 179 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.1 and spans 3.2′ × 41″ of sky, about 166,300 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 217 from Diphda
Diphda
NGC 217
CETUS
NGC 217 lies 8.0° north of Diphda , the magnitude 2.0 star. Three fingers held at arm's length cover about 5°.
NGC 217 is highest in the evening in November
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60°N
JAN at 60°N: 6° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: -9° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: -22° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: -35° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: -36° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -10° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: 5° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: 20° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: 16° high at 9 pm 50°N
JAN at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: -7° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: -42° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: -44° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: -28° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: 10° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: 24° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: 30° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: 25° high at 9 pm 40°N
JAN at 40°N: 16° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: -6° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: -49° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: -60° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: -51° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: -31° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -8° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: 14° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: 32° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: 40° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm 30°N
JAN at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: -5° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: -57° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -7° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: 19° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: 40° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: 50° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: 42° high at 9 pm 20°N
JAN at 20°N: 24° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: -3° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: -29° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: -57° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: -80° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: -61° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: -34° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: 23° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: 60° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: 49° high at 9 pm 10°N
JAN at 10°N: 28° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: -1° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: -28° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: -58° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: -87° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: -62° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: -33° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -4° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: 26° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: 53° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: 70° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: 55° high at 9 pm 0°
JAN at 0°: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 0° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: -27° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: -57° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: -80° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: -60° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: -32° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -2° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: 57° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: 80° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: 60° high at 9 pm 10°S
JAN at 10°S: 32° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 2° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: -25° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: -52° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: -70° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: -56° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: -29° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -0° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: 59° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: 89° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: 62° high at 9 pm 20°S
JAN at 20°S: 32° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 4° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: -21° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: -46° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: -60° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: -49° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: -26° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: 2° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: 58° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: 80° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: 61° high at 9 pm 30°S
JAN at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 5° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: -18° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: -39° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: -50° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: -42° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: -22° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: 3° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: 30° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: 70° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: 57° high at 9 pm 40°S
JAN at 40°S: 30° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 7° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: -14° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: -32° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: -40° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: -34° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: -17° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: 5° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: 28° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: 49° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: 60° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: 51° 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 80°N, and never sets south of 80°S.
NGC 217 is 179 million light-years away
The light seen from NGC 217 tonight left it about 179 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).
Objects within 6° of NGC 217
78 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:
NGC 151, spiral galaxy, 1.9° NGC 255, spiral galaxy, 2.1° NGC 246 Skull Nebula, planetary nebula, 2.3° NGC 157, mixed spiral galaxy, 2.3° NGC 309, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.7° NGC 275, barred spiral galaxy, 3.8° NGC 274, lenticular galaxy, 3.8° NGC 210, mixed spiral galaxy, 3.9°
NGC 217 catalog data
Field Value
Constellation Cetus Designations NGC 217, 2MASX J00413390-1001169, MCG -02-02-085, PGC 002482, SDSS J004133.89-100117.1 Type barred spiral galaxy (SBa) Right ascension (J2000) 00h 41.6m Declination (J2000) -10° 01′ Magnitude 12.1 (B 13.0) Surface brightness 24.0 mag/arcmin² Apparent size 3.2′ × 41″ Position angle 113° True size 166,300 light-years Distance 179 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023)) Radial velocity 3,944 km/s, redshift 0.01324 Best with Large telescope Best month November Catalog page NGC 1 to 500
