---
title: "NGC 3079"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3079"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3079 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3079"
---

# NGC 3079

NGC 3079 is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBc in the constellation [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major), 60.31 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 10.71 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J10015792+5540480, IRAS 09585+5555 and IRAS 0958+559P15, among 10 designations in total. It was discovered in 1790.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 60.31 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 52.5 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 8.2′ — About 0.3 of the full Moon's width.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 10.71 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBc |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 60.31 Mly ±14 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 10.71 |
| CONSTELLATION | Ursa Major |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 10h 01m 57.8s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +55° 40′ 47.2″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1790 |

## 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 | SBc |

### 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) | 11.41 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 10.71 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 8.44 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 7.64 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 7.26 |
| Surface brightness | 23.17 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 | 1127 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.003766 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00430348 |
| Major axis | 8.18′ |
| Minor axis | 1.29′ |
| Position angle | 166° |

### 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 |
| --- | --- |
| OpenNGC type code | G |
| Wikidata item | Q644518 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 3079 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J10015792+5540480
- IRAS: IRAS 09585+5555
- IRAS: IRAS 0958+559P15
- IRAS: IRAS F09585+5555
- LEDA: LEDA 29050
- MCG: MCG +09-17-010
- NGC: NGC 3079
- PGC: PGC 29050
- SDSS: SDSS J100157.94+554047.8
- UGC: UGC 5387

## 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 3079 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3079

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3079,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3079}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3079},
  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-3079