---
title: "NGC 5970"
url: "https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5970"
release: "DR1"
licence: "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
citation: "SpaceCatalog. NGC 5970 [catalogue entry]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5970"
---

# NGC 5970

NGC 5970 is a barred spiral [galaxy](https://spacecatalog.org/galaxies) SBc in the constellation [Serpens](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/serpens), 99.08 Mly from Earth, shining at apparent magnitude 11.61 (V). Other catalogues list it as 2MASX J15382998+1211117, IRAS 15361+1220 and LEDA 55665, among 7 designations in total. It was discovered in 1784.

## At a glance

- **WHAT IT IS:** Barred spiral galaxy
- **HOW FAR:** 99.08 Mly — A luminosity distance, from its redshift — how faint it looks. The light itself left 91.9 million years ago.
- **HOW BIG ON THE SKY:** 2.8′ — Small enough that the full Moon would cover it several times over.
- **HOW BRIGHT (V):** 11.61 — A small telescope reaches it.
- **WHERE TO LOOK:** [Serpens](https://spacecatalog.org/constellation/serpens) — The patch of sky it sits in, as seen from Earth.

## Properties

| Quantity | Value |
| --- | --- |
| CLASS | Barred spiral galaxy SBc |
| DISTANCE FROM EARTH | 99.08 Mly ±15 — by redshift (CMB frame), flat ΛCDM with H0 = 70 km/s/Mpc |
| APPARENT MAGNITUDE (V) | 11.61 |
| CONSTELLATION | Serpens |
| RIGHT ASCENSION (J2000) | 15h 38m 30.0s |
| DECLINATION (J2000) | +12° 11′ 11.8″ |
| DISCOVERED | 1784 |

## 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 | SBc |

### 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) | 12.00 |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 11.61 |
| Apparent magnitude (J) | 9.70 |
| Apparent magnitude (H band) | 9.07 |
| Apparent magnitude (K) | 8.82 |
| Surface brightness | 22.64 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 | 1974 km/s |
| Redshift (z) | 0.00661 |
| Redshift (z, CMB frame) | 0.00705521 |
| Major axis | 2.77′ |
| Minor axis | 1.91′ |
| Position angle | 88° |

### 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 | Q1124540 |
| Wikipedia article | NGC 5970 |

## Also known as

- 2MASX: 2MASX J15382998+1211117
- IRAS: IRAS 15361+1220
- LEDA: LEDA 55665
- MCG: MCG +02-40-006
- NGC: NGC 5970
- PGC: PGC 55665
- UGC: UGC 9943

## 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 5970 \[catalogue entry\]. Data release DR1 (2026-08-21). https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5970

```bibtex
@misc{spacecatalog_ngc-5970,
  author       = {{SpaceCatalog}},
  title        = {{NGC 5970}},
  howpublished = {SpaceCatalog, data release DR1 (2026-08-21)},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://spacecatalog.org/object/ngc-5970},
  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-5970