Observer's guide
About Spindle Galaxy
Spindle Galaxy (C53) is catalogued as a galaxy in Sextans. Its J2000 position is RA 10:05:14, Dec -07:43:07, corresponding to 151.308 degrees RA and -7.7186 degrees Dec. The local catalogue places it about 22,000,000 light-years away. Its referenced angular extent is approximately 13.32 by 5.27 arcminutes.
Observing tips
StarWatchr rates this as a hard target at magnitude 8.9. It is associated with spring observing, with midnight placement typically strongest around February. From 52 degrees north its theoretical meridian altitude is about 30.3 degrees; local horizons and the live altitude chart determine the practical window.
A small telescope under reasonably dark skies is a good starting point; use the live altitude chart to choose its highest point.
What to expect
The SIMBAD classification for the matched source is GiG. SIMBAD records the morphology as -1. A published radial velocity value is 665.4 km/s. The SIMBAD record currently connects it to 1076 bibliographic references.
At roughly 13.3 arcminutes across, it benefits from a narrower field and adequate image scale. Use the listed 13.32 by 5.27 arcminute extent to check framing, and treat catalogue magnitude as integrated brightness rather than a direct measure of visual contrast.
