NGC 5866
Scientific overview
NGC 5866 is a lenticular galaxy in the constellation Draco. It shines at apparent magnitude 9.89 and spans about 6.31 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 · M 102
| Distance | 4.7945e+7 ly | SIMBAD · catalogued |
| Physical size (major axis) | 88,003 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Physical size (minor axis) | 37,935 ly | SIMBAD · derived |
| Redshift (z) | 0.002518 ± 1.7000e-5 | NED · catalogued |
| Radial velocity | 756.917382 km/s | SIMBAD · measured |
| Right ascension (ICRS) | 226.623171 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
| Declination (ICRS) | 55.763308 deg | SIMBAD · measured |
Full field-level provenance
- Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2025ApJ...978...77B · catalogued value · source value 14.7 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 · 2011MNRAS.413..813C · catalogued value · NED quality UUN · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2002LEDA.........0P · 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 Draco
| Object | Type | Mag | Size (′) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat's Eye NebulaC 6 · NGC 6543 | Planetary nebula | 9.01 | 0.9 |
| NGC 4125NGC 4125 | Elliptical galaxy | 9.71 | 5.87 |
| NGC 4236C 3 · NGC 4236 | Barred spiral galaxy | 9.77 | 23.5 |
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.