---
title: "NGC 3688"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3688"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 3688 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3688"
---

# NGC 3688

NGC 3688 is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBb in the constellation [Crater](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/crater), 335.9 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 15.38 (B). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J11274443-0909560, IRAS F11252-0853 and LEDA 35269, among 6 designations in total. It was discovered in 1880.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 335.9 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 307 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 1.1′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (B):** 15.38 — Faint: it takes a large telescope.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Crater](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/crater) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBb |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 335.9 Mly ±20 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (B) | 15.38 |
| CONSTELLATION | Crater |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 11h 27m 44.5s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −09° 09′ 56.2″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1880 |

## 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 | SBb |

### 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) | 15.38 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 12.28 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 11.56 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 11.29 |
| Surface brightness | 23.91 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 | 6630 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.022365 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.0236222 |
| Major axis | 1.11′ |
| Minor axis | 0.93′ |
| Position angle | 168° |

### 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 | Q1105897 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J11274443-0909560
- IRAS: IRAS F11252-0853
- LEDA: LEDA 35269
- MCG: MCG -01-29-024
- NGC: NGC 3688
- PGC: PGC 35269

## 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 3688 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3688

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-3688,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 3688}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-3688},
  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-3688