---
title: "NGC 59"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-59"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 59 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-59"
---

# NGC 59

NGC 59 is an elliptical [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) E-S0 in the constellation [Cetus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/cetus), shining at apparent magnitude 12.45 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J00152512-2126396, ESO 539-004 and ESO 539-4, among 9 designations in total. It was discovered in 1886.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Elliptical galaxy
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 2.4′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 12.45 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Cetus](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/cetus) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Elliptical galaxy E-S0 |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 12.45 |
| CONSTELLATION | Cetus |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 00h 15m 25.1s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | −21° 26′ 39.8″ |
| 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-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) | 13.14 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 12.45 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 10.89 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 10.26 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 10.10 |
| Surface brightness | 23.72 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 | 367 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.001224 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.000181162 |
| Major axis | 2.38′ |
| Minor axis | 1.24′ |
| Position angle | 121° |

### WHEN IT WAS FOUND

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

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Discovered by | Ormond Stone |

### 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 | Q50653 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 59 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J00152512-2126396
- ESO: ESO 539-004
- ESO: ESO 539-4
- ESO-LV: ESO-LV 539-0040
- IRAS: IRAS F00129-2143
- LEDA: LEDA 1034
- MCG: MCG -04-01-026
- NGC: NGC 59
- PGC: PGC 1034

## 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 59 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-59

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-59,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 59}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-59},
  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-59