NGC 3686


Combination of 5, 3 minute images unfiltered.
SBIG STL-1001E CCD. 20" f/6.8 Dall-Kirkham cassegrain telescope at prime focus.

NGC 3686 is a fairly large and beautiful, face-on Sc spiral galaxy in Ursa Major, that appears moderately faint in an 18" telescope. 3 fainter galaxies were visible in the same field. NGC 3681, NGC 3684 and NGC 3691.

In the image above, there are numerous other galaxies are visible. At the centre-right (west) is the 11.7 magnitude NGC 3684, while towards the bottom is the 12.4 magnitude NGC 3691. The moderately faint galaxy to t he east (left) of NGC 3686 is the 16.1 magnitude PGC 35310.