The sky around NGC 3604, 3° across, north up NGC 3601 low-power eyepiece, 1° NE 1°
The sky around NGC 3604 at true scale, north up and east left, with stars to magnitude 8 and the NGC and IC objects in the field. The circles show the field of a low-power eyepiece and of 10×50 binoculars.

NGC 3604

NGC 3604

Early spiral galaxy in Leo

Early spiral galaxy in Leo, 105 million light-years away.

LEO

The box shows where NGC 3604 sits in Leo.

Constellation
LeoLeo
Magnitude
12.2visual
Size
1.4′ × 45″about 42,800 light-years
Distance
105 million lylight-years
Best month
Aprilat 9 pm
Best with
Large telescope

NGC 3604 is an early spiral galaxy in Leo, 105 million light-years away

NGC 3604 is an early spiral galaxy in the constellation Leo, 105 million light-years away. It shines at magnitude 12.2 and spans 1.4′ × 45″ of sky, about 42,800 light-years across. It is faint: a 10-inch or larger telescope, or a camera, and it is highest in the evening sky in April.

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 3604 from Zavijava

Zavijava NGC 3604 LEO

NGC 3604 lies 8.7° west of Zavijava, the magnitude 3.6 star. A fist held at arm's length covers about 10°.

NGC 3604 is highest in the evening in April

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 60°N JAN at 60°N: -1° high at 9 pm FEB at 60°N: 14° high at 9 pm MAR at 60°N: 26° high at 9 pm APR at 60°N: 34° high at 9 pm MAY at 60°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUN at 60°N: 23° high at 9 pm JUL at 60°N: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 60°N: -5° high at 9 pm SEP at 60°N: -18° high at 9 pm OCT at 60°N: -25° high at 9 pm NOV at 60°N: -24° high at 9 pm DEC at 60°N: -15° high at 9 pm 50°N JAN at 50°N: -3° high at 9 pm FEB at 50°N: 17° high at 9 pm MAR at 50°N: 33° high at 9 pm APR at 50°N: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 50°N: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 50°N: 29° high at 9 pm JUL at 50°N: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 50°N: -9° high at 9 pm SEP at 50°N: -25° high at 9 pm OCT at 50°N: -35° high at 9 pm NOV at 50°N: -33° high at 9 pm DEC at 50°N: -21° high at 9 pm 40°N JAN at 40°N: -5° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°N: 19° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°N: 38° high at 9 pm APR at 40°N: 53° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°N: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°N: 33° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°N: -12° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°N: -32° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°N: -44° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°N: -42° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°N: -26° high at 9 pm 30°N JAN at 30°N: -6° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°N: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°N: 43° high at 9 pm APR at 30°N: 62° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°N: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°N: 37° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°N: -14° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°N: -38° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°N: -54° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°N: -51° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°N: -31° high at 9 pm 20°N JAN at 20°N: -8° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°N: 47° high at 9 pm APR at 20°N: 71° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°N: 66° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°N: 40° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°N: -16° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°N: -43° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°N: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°N: -59° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°N: -36° high at 9 pm 10°N JAN at 10°N: -9° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°N: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°N: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 10°N: 78° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°N: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°N: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°N: 12° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°N: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°N: -47° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°N: -72° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°N: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°N: -39° high at 9 pm 0° JAN at 0°: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 0°: 21° high at 9 pm MAR at 0°: 48° high at 9 pm APR at 0°: 78° high at 9 pm MAY at 0°: 71° high at 9 pm JUN at 0°: 41° high at 9 pm JUL at 0°: 11° high at 9 pm AUG at 0°: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 0°: -49° high at 9 pm OCT at 0°: -78° high at 9 pm NOV at 0°: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 0°: -40° high at 9 pm 10°S JAN at 10°S: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 10°S: 20° high at 9 pm MAR at 10°S: 46° high at 9 pm APR at 10°S: 72° high at 9 pm MAY at 10°S: 67° high at 9 pm JUN at 10°S: 39° high at 9 pm JUL at 10°S: 10° high at 9 pm AUG at 10°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 10°S: -50° high at 9 pm OCT at 10°S: -78° high at 9 pm NOV at 10°S: -70° high at 9 pm DEC at 10°S: -41° high at 9 pm 20°S JAN at 20°S: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 20°S: 18° high at 9 pm MAR at 20°S: 42° high at 9 pm APR at 20°S: 63° high at 9 pm MAY at 20°S: 59° high at 9 pm JUN at 20°S: 36° high at 9 pm JUL at 20°S: 9° high at 9 pm AUG at 20°S: -20° high at 9 pm SEP at 20°S: -48° high at 9 pm OCT at 20°S: -71° high at 9 pm NOV at 20°S: -65° high at 9 pm DEC at 20°S: -40° high at 9 pm 30°S JAN at 30°S: -11° high at 9 pm FEB at 30°S: 15° high at 9 pm MAR at 30°S: 37° high at 9 pm APR at 30°S: 54° high at 9 pm MAY at 30°S: 51° high at 9 pm JUN at 30°S: 32° high at 9 pm JUL at 30°S: 8° high at 9 pm AUG at 30°S: -19° high at 9 pm SEP at 30°S: -44° high at 9 pm OCT at 30°S: -63° high at 9 pm NOV at 30°S: -58° high at 9 pm DEC at 30°S: -37° high at 9 pm 40°S JAN at 40°S: -10° high at 9 pm FEB at 40°S: 13° high at 9 pm MAR at 40°S: 31° high at 9 pm APR at 40°S: 44° high at 9 pm MAY at 40°S: 42° high at 9 pm JUN at 40°S: 27° high at 9 pm JUL at 40°S: 6° high at 9 pm AUG at 40°S: -18° high at 9 pm SEP at 40°S: -39° high at 9 pm OCT at 40°S: -53° high at 9 pm NOV at 40°S: -50° high at 9 pm DEC at 40°S: -33° 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 85°S.

NGC 3604 is 105 million light-years away

The light seen from NGC 3604 tonight left it about 105 million years ago, long before modern humans existed. Distance source: Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023).

Objects within 6° of NGC 3604

115 NGC and IC objects lie within 6°. The nearest that are brighter than magnitude 12.5 or have their own page:

NGC 3604 catalog data

FieldValue
ConstellationLeo
DesignationsNGC 3604, 2MASX J11173015+0433195, IRAS 11149+0449, MCG +01-29-026, PGC 034478, SDSS J111730.14+043318.7, SDSS J111730.17+043320.0, UGC 06305
Typeearly spiral galaxy (Sa)
Right ascension (J2000)11h 17.5m
Declination (J2000)+04° 33′
Magnitude12.2 (B 12.0)
Surface brightness22.0 mag/arcmin²
Apparent size1.4′ × 45″
Position angle11°
True size42,800 light-years
Distance105 million light-years (Cosmicflows-4 (Tully et al. 2023))
Radial velocity1,586 km/s, redshift 0.0053
Best withLarge telescope
Best monthApril
Catalog pageNGC 3501 to 4000