About NGC 5272 (M3)

NGC 5272 is a rewarding deep-sky target and appears as a soft glow. It has moderate brightness.

Current visibility

Right now it is at about 34° altitude and reaches 62° around 01:19 AM.

It stays above 30° for roughly 7 hours.

Observing conditions matter, fine detail requires darker skies.

Observing tips

This object is better suited for experienced observers.

What to expect

In small telescopes it remains mostly unresolved.

It offers less structure than some of the brightest galaxies.

Type

Globular Cluster

Constellation

Canes Venatici

Distance

33900 ly

Size

18.6'

Season

Spring

Difficulty

Easy

Magnitude

6.2