Caldwell 26
Galaxy in Canes Venatici
🔭 Explore Caldwell 26 in the 3D map →View Caldwell 26 images →| Type | Galaxy |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Canes Venatici |
| Right ascension | 12h 17m 30s |
| Declination | +37° 48′ |
| Apparent magnitude | 10.2 |
| Apparent size | 16.2′ (arc-minutes) |
| Also known as | C26 · NGC 4244 |
Caldwell 26 is a galaxy (NGC 4244) in the constellation Canes Venatici — a distant island of stars far beyond the Milky Way. It appears as number 26 in the Caldwell catalogue, Sir Patrick Moore's 1995 list of 109 bright deep-sky objects for amateur astronomers. It spans roughly 16.2 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 10.2, it shows up in a small backyard telescope.
Observing Caldwell 26
Caldwell 26 lies in the constellation Canes Venatici and is best placed in the evening sky around March. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. It is best placed for observers in the northern hemisphere, and sits low for those far south. A small backyard telescope will show it; binoculars may hint at it under dark skies. Note that the listed magnitude is spread across the whole object — diffuse galaxies and nebulae are often harder to see than the number alone suggests, so dark, moonless skies help a great deal.
See Caldwell 26 in Universe Finder
Open the interactive 3D map to fly to Caldwell 26 and see it in context among the real stars around it. Launch the 3D view →
Sources
- Position, magnitude and angular size from the OpenNGC catalogue (Mattia Verga).
- Object identity cross-referenced with SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg).
- Image credits and the original observation source are linked with each photograph.
Related objects
- Andromeda Galaxy — galaxy
- Triangulum Galaxy — galaxy
- Whirlpool Galaxy — galaxy
- Sombrero Galaxy — galaxy
- Messier 110 — galaxy