Galaxy NGC 3626
History
William Herschel discovered on 15 February 1784 a «faint nebula» which he logged as II 30 with the notes: «pretty bright, round.» That entry was added later as NGC 3632, but on the position he gave (6m 30s following, 2° 23' south of 60 Leonis) there is nothing. The nearest one is the galaxy known today as NGC 3626. One month later on 14 March 1784 he sweeped through the same area and logged nebula II 52 with the notes: «Pretty bright, small, little extended, brighter in the middle». That position matches NGC 3626. So NGC 3632 is a displaced duplicate of NGC 3626. [313, 463]
NGC 3639 was discovered by R. J. Mitchell on 21 January 1855 using Lord Rosse's giant 72-inch reflector at Birr Castle. [364]
Physical Properties
| Name | RA | Dec | Type | bMag | vMag | B-V | SB | Dim | PA | z | D(z) | MD | Dreyer Description | Identification, Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NGC 3626 | 11 20 03.6 | +18 21 24 | dup | 11.8 | 11.0 | 0.8 | 12.6 | 2.7 × 1.9 | 157 | 0.004980 | 21.04 | 23.150 | B, S, vlE, sbM | WH II 52; h 856; GC 2376; NGC 3632; UGC 6343; MCG 3-29-32; CGCG 96-29 |
| NGC 3632 | 11 20 03.6 | +18 21 24 | Gx (S0-a) | 11.8 | 11.0 | 0.8 | 12.6 | 2.7 × 1.9 | 157 | 0.004980 | 21.04 | 23.150 | pB, * inv | WH II 30; GC 2382; NGC 3626; UGC 6343; MCG 3-29-32; CGCG 96-29 |
| NGC 3639 | 11 21 35.5 | +18 27 31 | Gx (S?) | 14.6 | 13.7 | 0.9 | 12.6 | 0.6 × 0.5 | 39 | 0.018149 | 76.66 | pF, S, R, vlbM, 15' f h 856 | GC 2385; UGC 6374; MCG 3-29-36; CGCG 96-32; ARAK 289 |
Finder Chart
The galaxy NGC 3626 is in the constellation Leo. The best time for observation is November to May.
