---
title: "IC 3958"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ic-3958"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. IC 3958 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ic-3958"
---

# IC 3958

IC 3958 is an elliptical [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) E in the constellation [Coma Berenices](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/coma-berenices), 1.096 Gly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 16.71 (B). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J12591138+2401199 and SDSS J125911.40+240120.1.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Elliptical galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 1.096 Gly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 971 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 32″ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (B):** 16.71 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Coma Berenices](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/coma-berenices) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Elliptical galaxy E |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 1.096 Gly ±0.047 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (B) | 16.71 |
| CONSTELLATION | Coma Berenices |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 12h 59m 11.4s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +24° 01′ 20.2″ |

## Catalogue data

### WHAT KIND OF THING IT IS

What the object is in itself, rather than how it happens to look from here.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Hubble type | E |

### HOW BRIGHT IT IS

What the light adds up to, measured through one filter at a time. A magnitude is a brightness on a backwards scale — the smaller the number, the brighter the object.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Apparent magnitude (B) | 16.71 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 13.76 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 12.88 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 12.57 |
| Surface brightness | 24.18 mag/arcsec² |

### WHERE IT IS AND HOW IT MOVES

Position, motion across the sky and the size it covers on it. These are measurements of the object as seen from here, so every one of them depends on where here is.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Radial velocity | 21 177 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.07332 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.0743258 |
| Major axis | 0.53′ |
| Minor axis | 0.4′ |
| Position angle | 112° |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

The identifiers other catalogues file this object under, for anyone joining this data to theirs.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | G |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J12591138+2401199
- IC: IC 3958
- SDSS: SDSS J125911.40+240120.1

## Source

[OpenNGC](https://github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC) — CC-BY-SA-4.0

The producer asks: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How this was made: https://spacecatalog.org/methods#source-openngc

## Cite this page

SpaceCatalog. IC 3958 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ic-3958

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ic-3958,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{IC 3958}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ic-3958},
  note         = {Catalogue entry, data release DR1 (2026-08-21). Values from OpenNGC.}
}
```

OpenNGC — CC-BY-SA-4.0

Acknowledgement the producer asks for: OpenNGC, Mattia Verga (github.com/mattiaverga/OpenNGC). Fields derived from it stay under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The page itself, with its pictures, the sky map and the observing tools: https://spacecatalog.org/object/ic-3958