Elliptical galaxy · Boötes
NGC 5623 Dragon Nebula
mag 12.51.6′ across
About
NGC 5623, the Dragon Nebula, is an elliptical galaxy of magnitude 12.5 in Boötes, about 1.6′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 5623 is in the constellation Boötes.
- Best evenings: around mid-June 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 north of 47° S.
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 smooth oval glow, brightening towards the centre.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | NGC 5623, PGC 51598, UGC 9260 |
|---|---|
| Type | Elliptical galaxy (E) |
| Magnitude | 12.5The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 1.6′ × 1.1′position angle 17°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 23.6 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Boötes |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 14h 27m 08.7s |
| Declination (J2000) | +33° 15′ 09″ |
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 →