Galaxy NGC 2811
History
This galaxy was discovered by William Herschel on 31 December 1785 using his selfmade reflecting telescope with 18.7 inch aperture and 20 feet focal length. He classified the galaxy as faint nebula and listed it as II 505 with the following notes: «Pretty bright, small, little extended, south preceding, north following, suddenly much brighter in the middle.» [464]
John Herschel observed the galaxy from Slough on 16 December 1827 (sweep 111) and listed it as h 580 with the notes: «Pretty bright; extended to north following; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle; 60" diameter.» [466] Observing from South Africa on 22 April 1835 (sweep 575) he listed it as h 3151 with the notes: «Pretty bright; much extended; pretty suddenly brighter in the middle; 40" length.» [11]
Physical Properties
| Designation | NGC 2811 |
| Type | Gx (SBa) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 09h 16m 11.2s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -16° 18' 45" |
| Diameter | 2.5 × 0.9 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 12.2 mag |
| Visual magnitude | 11.3 mag |
| Surface brightness | 12.0 mag·arcmin-2 |
| Position Angle | 22° |
| Redshift (z) | 0.007899 |
| Distance derived from z | 33.36 Mpc |
| Metric Distance | 45.640 Mpc |
| Dreyer Description | pB, pS, E, psmbM |
| Identification, Remarks | WH II 505; h 580=3151; GC 1796; MCG -3-24-3; UGCA 155; IRAS 09138-1606 |
Finder Chart
The galaxy NGC 2811 is located in constellation Hydra. On 6 February it is in opposition with the Sun and is therefore highest in the sky at local midnight.
