Galaxies NGC 2959, NGC 2961, NGC 2976
NGC 2976
The galaxy NGC 2976 was discovered by William Herschel on 8 November 1801 using his 18.3-inch reflecting telescope. He listed it as I 285 and noted: «Very bright, very large, extended, north preceding, south following, 6' long, 2' broad.» [465]
His son John Herschel listed NGC 2976 as h 625 (GC 1905) and made a single observation on 2 April 1832 (sweep 411): He noted: «Bright; very large; much extended in pos = 332.4°; very gradually very little brighter in themiddle, 3' long, 1' broad; has several small stars in it, and one 12m nearly at right angles to the axis of extension.» [466]
| Designation | NGC 2976 |
| Type | Gx (Sc/P) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 09h 47m 14.7s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | +67° 55' 03" |
| Diameter | 5.9 × 2.7 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 10.8 mag |
| Visual magnitude | 10.2 mag |
| Surface brightness | 13.0 mag·arcmin-2 |
| Position Angle | 143° |
| Redshift (z) | 0.000010 |
| Distance derived from z | 0.04 Mpc |
| Metric Distance | 3.610 Mpc |
| Dreyer Description | B, vL, mE 152°, st inv |
| Identification, Remarks | WH I 285; h 625; GC 1905; UGC 5221; MCG 11-12-25; CGCG 312-23; KUG 0943+681 |
NGC 2959/61
John Herschel discovered the galaxy NGC 2959 on 28 October 1831 (sweep 377) and listed it as h 618 (GC 1893) with the notes: «Faint, round, pretty large, very gradually little brighter in the middle, 40" is south of a small group of stars.» [466]
While observing GC 1893 = NGC 2959 Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, discovered NGC 2961 on 26 December 1873 and noted: «considerably faint, small, little extended 152.6°, gradually brighter in the middle. Several stars near.» Philip Keenan rediscovered this galaxy on a Yerkes Observatory plate by 1935 and called it NGC 2959A. [364]
| Name | RA | Dec | Type | bMag | vMag | B-V | SB | Dim | PA | z | D(z) | Dreyer Description | Identification, Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 2959 | 09 45 08.9 | +68 35 42 | Gx (SBb/P) | 13.6 | 12.8 | 0.8 | 13.2 | 1.3 × 1.3 | 0.014774 | 62.40 | F, pL, R, vglbM, st n | h 618; GC 1893; UGC 5202; MCG 12-9-62; CGCG 332-61; KCPG 211A; IRAS 09409+6849 | |
| NGC 2959 A | 09 45 22.3 | +68 36 33 | dup | 15.5 | 14.7 | 0.8 | 12.4 | 0.8 × 0.2 | 137 | 0.015014 | 63.42 | F, pL, R, vglbM, st n | h 618; GC 1893; NGC 2961; MCG 12-9-63; CGCG 332-63; KCPG 211B |
| NGC 2961 | 09 45 22.3 | +68 36 33 | Gx (Sb) | 15.5 | 14.7 | 0.8 | 12.4 | 0.8 × 0.2 | 137 | 0.015014 | 63.42 | cF, S, lE, nf h 618 | NGC 2959A; MCG 12-9-63; CGCG 332-63; KCPG 211B |
Finder Chart
The galaxy NGC 2976 is located in the constellation Ursa Maior, approximately 1° southwest of Messier 81. On 14 February it is in opposition with the Sun and is therefore highest in the sky at local midnight.
