---
title: "NGC 3161"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3161"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3161 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3161"
---

# NGC 3161

NGC 3161 is an elliptical [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) E in the constellation [Leo Minor](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/leo-minor), 310.4 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 15.26 (B). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J10135920+3839256, LEDA 29837 and MCG +07-21-022, among 7 designations in total. It was discovered in 1886.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Elliptical galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 310.4 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 289 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 28″ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (B):** 15.26 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Leo Minor](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/leo-minor) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Elliptical galaxy E |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 310.4 Mly ±19 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (B) | 15.26 |
| CONSTELLATION | Leo Minor |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 10h 13m 59.2s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +38° 39′ 25.7″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1886 |

## 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) | 15.26 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 11.91 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 11.16 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 10.93 |
| Surface brightness | 22.31 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 | 6232 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.02101 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.0218603 |
| Major axis | 0.46′ |
| Minor axis | 0.28′ |
| Position angle | 6° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | Guillaume Bigourdan |

### 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 | Q1103294 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J10135920+3839256
- LEDA: LEDA 29837
- MCG: MCG +07-21-022
- NGC: NGC 3161
- PGC: PGC 29837
- SDSS: SDSS J101359.18+383925.9
- SDSS: SDSS J101359.19+383925.9

## 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 3161 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3161

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3161,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3161}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3161},
  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-3161