Spiral galaxy · Cetus
PGC 3853 Shapley-Ames 1
mag 11.74.3′ across
About
PGC 3853 (Shapley-Ames 1) is a spiral galaxy of magnitude 11.7 in Cetus, about 4.3′ across.
How to find it
- PGC 3853 is in the constellation Cetus.
- Best evenings: around late November 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 74° 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 small, faint smudge that needs a dark sky and patience.
For a dark country sky with no Moon. From a city, faint galaxies and nebulae can disappear completely.
Facts
| Designations | PGC 3853 |
|---|---|
| Type | Spiral galaxy (SABc) |
| Magnitude | 11.7The smaller the number, the brighter. |
| Apparent size | 4.3′ × 3.2′position angle 57°; the full Moon is 31′ across |
| Surface brightness | 24.0 mag/arcsec²Average over its disc, in the blue band: the lower the number, the easier it is to see. |
| Constellation | Cetus |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 01h 05m 04.9s |
| Declination (J2000) | −06° 12′ 45″ |
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 →