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Planetary nebula · Circinus

NGC 5315

Deep skyNGC 5315

Scientific overview

NGC 5315 is a planetary nebula in the constellation Circinus. It shines at apparent magnitude 9.8 and spans about 0.1 arcminutes of sky.

Observation guide

Difficulty
Medium telescope
Recommended equipment
≈ 150–200 mm telescope
Best observed
Spring (S. evening sky)
Best hemisphere
Southern

Guidance follows standard observing practice, derived from the object's real magnitude and position. A dark, moonless sky always helps.

Location in the sky

Constellation
Circinus
RA / Dec
13.8991h / -66.5142°
Hemisphere
Southern
Season
Spring

Precision measurements

Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 5315

Distance11,230 lySIMBAD · catalogued
Physical size (major axis)0.326655 lySIMBAD · derived
Radial velocity-23 ± 5 km/sSIMBAD · measured
Right ascension (ICRS)208.487386 degSIMBAD · measured
Declination (ICRS)-66.514128 degSIMBAD · measured
Full field-level provenance
  • Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2010ApJ...714.1096S · catalogued value · source value 3.443 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 · 1953GCRV..C......0W · 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). 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.

ObjectTypeMagSize (′)
NGC 5823C 88 · NGC 5823Open cluster7.93.9
NGC 5715NGC 5715Open cluster9.83.6

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.