NGC 3960
Scientific overview
NGC 3960 is an open cluster in the constellation Centaurus. It shines at apparent magnitude 8.3 and spans about 6 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 · NGC 3960
| Distance | 6,980 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 12.181956 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Radial velocity | -22.53 ± 0.15 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 177.644167 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | -55.678889 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2022MNRAS.509..421N · distance indicator: paral · catalogued value · source value 2.14 kpc · 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
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · 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). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Other objects in Centaurus
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| lam Cen Nebula | Cluster with nebulosity | 4.5 | 7.2 |
| Pearl ClusterC 97 · NGC 3766 | Open cluster | 5.3 | 6.9 |
| NGC 5138NGC 5138 | Open cluster | 5.33 | 4.2 |
| Omega CentauriC 80 · NGC 5139 | Globular cluster | 5.33 | 27 |
| NGC 5662NGC 5662 | Open cluster | 5.5 | 8.1 |
| NGC 5460NGC 5460 | Open cluster | 5.6 | 13.2 |
| NGC 5281NGC 5281 | Open cluster | 5.9 | 6.9 |
| NGC 5316NGC 5316 | Open cluster | 6 | 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.