Perseus A
Scientific overview
Perseus A is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Perseus. It shines at apparent magnitude 12.24 and spans about 2.16 arcminutes of sky.
Observation guide
Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.
Location in the sky
Precision measurements
Distances and velocities from SIMBAD and redshift from NED · NGC 1275
| Distance | 2.0391e+8 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 128,122 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 86,008 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | 0.01767 ± 3.0000e-5 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | 4,998 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 49.950667 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 41.511697 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2016AJ....152...50T · catalogued value · source value 62.52 Mpc · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Physical size (minor axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Redshift (z): NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database · NED · ObjectLookup · Redshift · 2018PASJ...70...13H · catalogued value · NED quality SUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2022ApJS..261....2K · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2020yCat.1350....0G · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). Redshift is the object's measured redshift — a negative value is a blueshift (the galaxy is approaching, its motion dominated by local rather than cosmic expansion). Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Perseus
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| h Persei ClusterNGC 869 | Open cluster | 3.7 | 14.4 |
| chi Persei ClusterNGC 884 | Open cluster | 3.8 | 10.5 |
| California NebulaNGC 1499 | Nebula | 5 | 160 |
| M 34M 34 · NGC 1039 | Open cluster | 5.2 | 22.5 |
| NGC 1545NGC 1545 | Open cluster | 6.2 | 4.2 |
| NGC 1528NGC 1528 | Open cluster | 6.4 | 9.6 |
| NGC 1444NGC 1444 | Open cluster | 6.6 | 3.6 |
| NGC 1342NGC 1342 | Open cluster | 6.7 | 6.3 |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data
Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.