Spiral galaxy · Fornax
NGC 1317 Fornax B
Also known as: NGC 1318
mag 10.93.1′ across
About
NGC 1317 (Fornax B) is a spiral galaxy of magnitude 10.9 in Fornax, about 3.1′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 1317 is in the constellation Fornax.
- Best evenings: around late December it is highest at about 9 pm (10 pm in summer time); a month earlier, two hours later.
- Where on Earth: it is seen well, at least 10° up, from south of 43° N.
When it rises and sets tonight, how high it climbs and how much the Moon gets in the way are worked out in your browser for your place.
What you will see
- EyesNot visible to the naked eye.
- Binoculars (10×50)Too faint for binoculars.
- Telescope (6–8 inch)A faint oval glow with a brighter middle — no spiral arms without a camera.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 1317, NGC 1318, PGC 12653 |
|---|---|
| Type | Spiral galaxy (SABa) |
| Magnitude | 10.9The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 3.1′ × 2.6′position angle 69°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 23.0 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Fornax |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 03h 22m 44.3s |
| Declination (J2000) | −37° 06′ 13″ |
Sources and credits
Catalog data: OpenNGC by Mattia Verga, CC BY-SA 4.0, and d3-celestial by Olaf Frohn, BSD 3-Clause. All data sources →