Object Type | Galaxy SBb |
Constellation | Leo |
Magnitude | 8.8 |
Size | 12.5' x 6.0' |
Number 130 in the Herschel 400 list is NGC 2903.
NGC 2903 is a large and bright galaxy in Leo, about 1.5 degrees south of lambda leonis. It is a beautiful, multi-armed Sb spiral, tilted at a substantial angle. One of my favourite galaxies, it is a very good object for small telescopes, appearing as a large oval patch of light in an 8" telescope. In a 10", the spiral structure is visible. The faint patch to the left (east) is the 16.0 magnitude galaxy, PGC 27115.
A long exposure, colour image with the same telescope and CCD in here.