Spiral galaxy · Draco
NGC 6503 Lost in Space Galaxy
mag 10.15.9′ across
About
NGC 6503, the Lost in Space Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy of magnitude 10.1 in Draco, about 5.9′ across.
How to find it
- NGC 6503 is in the constellation Draco.
- Best evenings: around early August 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 10° 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 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 6503, PGC 60921, UGC 11012 |
|---|---|
| Type | Spiral galaxy (Sc) |
| Magnitude | 10.1The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 5.9′ × 2′position angle 123°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 22.6 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Draco |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 17h 49m 26.4s |
| Declination (J2000) | +70° 08′ 40″ |
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 →