---
title: "NGC 3621"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3621"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3621 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3621"
---

# NGC 3621

NGC 3621 is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBcd in the constellation [Hydra](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/hydra), 49.71 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 9.55 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J11181630-3248453, ESO 377-037 and ESO 377-37, among 11 designations in total. It was discovered in 1790.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 49.71 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 34.0 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 9.8′ — About 0.3 of the full Moon's width.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 9.55 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Hydra](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/hydra) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBcd |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 49.71 Mly ±14 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 9.55 |
| CONSTELLATION | Hydra |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 11h 18m 16.5s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −32° 48′ 50.6″ |
| 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 | SBcd |

### 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) | 10.10 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.55 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 7.46 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 6.80 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 6.60 |
| Surface brightness | 23.03 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 | 730 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.002437 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00354926 |
| Major axis | 9.79′ |
| Minor axis | 4.03′ |
| Position angle | 161° |

### 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 | Q1105652 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 3621 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J11181630-3248453
- ESO: ESO 377-037
- ESO: ESO 377-37
- ESO-LV: ESO-LV 377-0370
- IRAS: IRAS 11158-3232
- IRAS: IRAS F11158-3232
- LEDA: LEDA 34554
- MCG: MCG -05-27-008
- NGC: NGC 3621
- PGC: PGC 34554
- UGCA: UGCA 232

## 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 3621 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3621

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3621,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3621}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3621},
  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-3621