---
title: "Bear Claw Nebula"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2537"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. Bear Claw Nebula [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2537"
---

# Bear Claw Nebula

Bear Claw Nebula is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBm in the constellation [Lynx](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/lynx), shining at apparent magnitude 11.71 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J08131464+4559232, Bear-Paw Galaxy and IRAS 08096+4608, among 10 designations in total. It was discovered in 1788.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 2.1′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 11.71 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Lynx](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/lynx) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBm |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 11.71 |
| CONSTELLATION | Lynx |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 08h 13m 14.6s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +45° 59′ 23.3″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1788 |

## 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 | SBm |

### 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) | 12.27 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.71 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 9.95 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 9.37 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 9.13 |
| Surface brightness | 22.54 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 | 447 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.001491 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00198994 |
| Major axis | 2.07′ |
| Minor axis | 1.96′ |
| Position angle | 165° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

Who first saw it, from where, and by what method.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | William Herschel |

### OTHER NAMES AND NUMBERS

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Also known as | Bear Claw Galaxy, Bear Paw Galaxy |
| OpenNGC type code | G |
| Wikidata item | Q942039 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 2537 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J08131464+4559232
- Common name: Bear Claw Nebula
- Common name: Bear-Paw Galaxy
- IRAS: IRAS 08096+4608
- LEDA: LEDA 23040
- MCG: MCG +08-15-050
- NGC: NGC 2537
- PGC: PGC 23040
- SDSS: SDSS J081314.72+455921.9
- UGC: UGC 4274

## 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. Bear Claw Nebula \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2537

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-2537,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{Bear Claw Nebula}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2537},
  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/ngc-2537