---
title: "NGC 3179"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3179"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3179 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3179"
---

# NGC 3179

NGC 3179 is a lenticular [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) S0 in the constellation [Ursa Major](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/ursa-major), 351.0 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 14.08 (B). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J10175720+4106510, LEDA 30078 and MCG +07-21-036, among 9 designations in total. It was discovered in 1851.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Lenticular galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 351.0 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 327 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 1.9′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (B):** 14.08 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **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 | Lenticular galaxy S0 |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 351.0 Mly ±20 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (B) | 14.08 |
| CONSTELLATION | Ursa Major |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 10h 17m 57.2s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +41° 06′ 51.5″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1851 |

## 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 | S0 |

### 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) | 14.08 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 11.00 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 10.28 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 10.04 |
| Surface brightness | 24.04 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 | 7065 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.02385 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.0246682 |
| Major axis | 1.86′ |
| Minor axis | 0.41′ |
| Position angle | 48° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse |

### 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 | Q1103379 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J10175720+4106510
- LEDA: LEDA 30078
- MCG: MCG +07-21-036
- NGC: NGC 3179
- PGC: PGC 30078
- SDSS: SDSS J101757.20+410651.4
- SDSS: SDSS J101757.21+410651.4
- SDSS: SDSS J101757.21+410651.5
- UGC: UGC 5555

## 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 3179 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3179

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3179,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3179}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3179},
  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-3179