Observer's guide
About NGC 3626
NGC 3626 (C40) is catalogued as a galaxy in Leo. Its J2000 position is RA 11:20:03, Dec +18:21:25, corresponding to 170.0159 degrees RA and 18.3568 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 86,000,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 2.99 by 1.94 arcminutes.
Observing tips
StarWatchr rates this as a very hard target at magnitude 10.6. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around March. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 56.4 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
Because it is faint, use a larger aperture where possible, avoid bright Moon conditions, and use averted vision.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is GiG. SIMBAD records the morphology as SAa. A published radial velocity value is 1466 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 285 bibliographic references.
At roughly 3 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 2.99 by 1.94 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.
