NGC 300
| NGC 300 | |
|---|---|
NGC 300 imaged by ESO's La Silla Observatory | |
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Right ascension | 00h 54m 53.48s |
| Declination | −37° 41′ 03.8″ |
| Redshift | 0.000480 |
| Heliocentric radial velocity | 144 ± 1 km/s |
| Distance | 6.07 ± 0.23 Mly (1.86 ± 0.07 Mpc)[a] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 9.0 |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | SA(s)d |
| Mass | (2.9 ± 0.2) × 1010 M☉ |
| Size | 55,200 ly (16.92 kpc) (estimated) |
| Apparent size (V) | 21.9′ × 15.5′ |
| Other designations | |
| ESO 295- G 020, IRAS 00525-3757, 2MASX J00545347-3741037, MCG -06-03-005, PGC 3238, Caldwell 70 | |
NGC 300 (also known as Caldwell 70 or the Sculptor Pinwheel Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Sculptor. It was discovered on 5 August 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop. It is one of the closest galaxies to the Local Group, and it most likely lies between the latter and the Sculptor Group. It is the brightest of the five main spirals in the direction of the Sculptor Group. It is inclined at an angle of 42° when viewed from Earth and shares many characteristics of the Triangulum Galaxy. It is about 55,000 light-years in diameter, somewhat smaller than the Milky Way, and has an estimated mass of (2.9 ± 0.2) × 1010 M☉.