Galaxy NGC 720
History
The galaxy NGC 720 was discovered on 3 October 1785 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel with his 18.7 inch reflector telescope. He listed it as «bright nebula» I 105 and the notes: «Considerably bright, pretty large, irregular round, much brighter in the middle.» [464]
Physical Properties
| Designation | NGC 720 |
| Type | Gx (E5) |
| Right Ascension (J2000.0) | 01h 53m 00.4s |
| Declination (J2000.0) | -13° 44' 19" |
| Diameter | 4.7 × 2.4 arcmin |
| Photographic (blue) magnitude | 11.2 mag |
| Visual magnitude | 10.2 mag |
| Surface brightness | 12.8 mag·arcmin-2 |
| Position Angle | 140° |
| Redshift (z) | 0.005821 |
| Distance derived from z | 24.59 Mpc |
| Metric Distance | 23.990 Mpc |
| Dreyer Description | cB, pL, lE, psmbM |
| Identification, Remarks | WH I 105; h 165=2443; GC 431; MCG -2-5-68 |
Finder Chart
The galaxy NGC 720 is located in the constellation Cetus. On 24 October it is in opposition to the Sun and crosses the meridian at local midnight. Visible from your location in the months: August to March.
