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| NGC 2775 is a 10th magnitude spiral galaxy with a bright central bulge surrounded by a dimmer oval glow. High resolution images of this galaxy show that its spiral arms have a mottled texture--a very complex structure of alternating bright and dark patches--but it takes a large telescope to get glimpses of this mottling. The galaxy is estimated to be about 67 million light years away. |  |
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| Evening visibility: | February-June | ||
| Best viewed with: | telescope | ||
| Printable chart (pdf) | |||
| Directions: Start by finding the Spring Triangle, which consists of three widely-separated first magnitude stars--Arcturus, Spica, and Regulus. The Spring Triangle is high in the southeast sky in early spring, and in the southwest sky by mid-Summer. (To get oriented, you can use the handle of the Big Dipper and "follow the arc to Arcturus"). For this star hop, begin at Regulus in the constellation Leo, the lion. |
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| From Regulus, look about 20 degrees to the west-southwest to find an irregular oval of dim stars that form the head of Hydra, the water snake. As shown in the chart below, find the crooked line of 3 stars at the top of Hydra's head and then look back an equivalent distance (about 4 degrees) in the direction of Regulus to reach NGC 2775. | |||
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| Star charts created with Cartes du Ciel | |||