NGC 147
Scientific overview
NGC 147 is an elliptical galaxy in the constellation Cassiopeia. It shines at apparent magnitude 9.72 and spans about 9.4 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 147
| Distance | 2,250,479 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 6,154 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 3,542 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | -0.000644 ± 1.0000e-5 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | -193.1 ± 0.8 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 8.3005 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 48.508739 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2024ApJ...966...25R · catalogued value · source value 0.69 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 · 1991A&A...246..349B · catalogued value · NED quality SUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2012AJ....144....4M · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2006AJ....131.1163S · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2006AJ....131.1163S · 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 Cassiopeia
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owl ClusterC 13 · NGC 457 | Open cluster | 6.4 | 7.8 |
| IC 1805 | Cluster with nebulosity | 6.5 | 60 |
| IC 1848 | Cluster with nebulosity | 6.5 | 40 |
| NGC 129NGC 129 | Open cluster | 6.5 | 5.4 |
| NGC 654NGC 654 | Open cluster | 6.5 | 6.3 |
| NGC 1027NGC 1027 | Open cluster | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| NGC 7789NGC 7789 | Open cluster | 6.7 | 14.4 |
| M 52M 52 · NGC 7654 | Open cluster | 6.9 | 9.9 |
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.