---
title: "NGC 2538"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2538"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 2538 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2538"
---

# NGC 2538

NGC 2538 is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBa in the constellation [Canis Minor](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/canis-minor), 198.7 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 13.75 (B). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J08112308+0337587, IRAS 08087+0347 and IRAS F08087+0346, among 9 designations in total. It was discovered in 1877.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 198.7 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 183 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 1.6′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (B):** 13.75 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Canis Minor](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/canis-minor) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBa |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 198.7 Mly ±16 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (B) | 13.75 |
| CONSTELLATION | Canis Minor |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 08h 11m 23.1s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +03° 37′ 59.5″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1877 |

## 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 | SBa |

### 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) | 13.75 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 10.61 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 9.92 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 9.63 |
| Surface brightness | 23.26 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 | 3935 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.013212 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.0140765 |
| Major axis | 1.58′ |
| Minor axis | 1.12′ |
| Position angle | 30° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | Édouard Stephan |

### 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 |
| Wikidata item | Q1049616 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J08112308+0337587
- IRAS: IRAS 08087+0347
- IRAS: IRAS F08087+0346
- LEDA: LEDA 22962
- MCG: MCG +01-21-019
- NGC: NGC 2538
- PGC: PGC 22962
- SDSS: SDSS J081123.06+033759.4
- UGC: UGC 4266

## 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. NGC 2538 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2538

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-2538,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 2538}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-2538},
  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-2538