Bear Claw Nebula (NGC 2537)
Also known as Bear Claw Nebula · NGC 2537 · Bear-Paw Galaxy
Bear Claw Nebula (NGC 2537) is a galaxy in the constellation Lynx, about 22.5 million light-years from Earth.
Facts
| Type | Galaxy (shape SB) |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Lynx |
| Position (J2000) | 8h 13m 14s, +45° 59′ |
| Distance | 22.5 million light-years (its light set off about 22.5 million years ago) |
| Brightness | magnitude 11.69 (smaller is brighter; the faintest stars the eye sees are about 6) |
| Size on the sky | 1.9′ × 1.8′ (the full Moon is about 31′) |
| Filter | No filter (It shines in starlight of every colour, so a nebula filter would only dim it; a dark sky helps more.) |
| Studied in | 316 scientific papers (SIMBAD) |
When and how to see it
Bear Claw Nebula (NGC 2537) is highest in the sky at midnight in January. From India (about 20° N) it climbs to about 64° above the horizon; from 50° N, to about 86°. To see it you need a small telescope.
Heights are worked out for India and for 50° N. Set your location in Settings to see them for where you are.
For tonight's best time from your own town, the darkness and the Moon, open it on the map and see its "Tonight from your location" card.
More in Lynx
Everything in Lynx · All 88 constellations · All sky objects
Data: SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg; the site's weekly copy) · OpenNGC · Data sources & credits