---
title: "NGC 5168"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5168"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 5168 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5168"
---

# NGC 5168

NGC 5168 is an open [cluster](https://spacecatalog.org/clusters) in the constellation [Centaurus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/centaurus), 9563 ly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 9.10 (V). Other catalogues list it as C 1327-606 and MWSC 2129. It was discovered in 1835.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Open cluster
- **HOW FAR:** 9563 ly — The light arriving now left it that long ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 4.2′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 9.10 — Binoculars reach it; the naked eye does not.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Centaurus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/centaurus) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Open cluster |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 9563 ly ±55 — by Gaia DR3 cluster membership (Hunt & Reffert 2024) |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 9.10 |
| CONSTELLATION | Centaurus |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 13h 31m 05.3s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −60° 56′ 21.2″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1835 |

## Catalogue data

### 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) | 9.55 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.10 |

### 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 | −34 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | −0.000115 |
| Major axis | 4.2′ |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | John Frederick 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 | OCl |
| Wikidata item | Q1117451 |

### WHERE THESE FIGURES CAME FROM

Which catalogue, paper or model each of the fields above was read from, where the source named one.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Distance catalogue entry | NGC 5168 |

## Also known as

- IAU cluster: C 1327-606
- MWSC: MWSC 2129
- NGC: NGC 5168

## 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 5168 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5168

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-5168,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 5168}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5168},
  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-5168