About IC 3278
IC 3278 is a rare galaxy. It sits in the constellation Com.
A triple galaxy system — three island universes tangled together, on a course that ends with them merging into one.
Rare galaxy 36 EP
IC 3278
RA 186.0623° · Dec 27.4208° · openngc
Score breakdown
· 2 badgesRare 50 pts → Epic
- Galaxy triplet +22
- Galaxy +14
Total score 36
14 more points to reach Epic.
Badges
- Galaxy · +14
- Galaxy triplet · +22
Trivia
What it actually is
- What it actually is. A triple galaxy system — three island universes tangled together, on a course that ends with them merging into one.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. Galaxies pass through each other almost without collisions — the stars are so far apart that they simply miss.
- Scale. Home to hundreds of billions of stars — a universe unto itself, and every one of those points of light could have planets.
Find it in the sky
- Where to look. You'll find it in the constellation Coma Berenices.
- Northern sky. It rides the northern half of the sky — an easier target the further north you are.
- Best time of year. It stands highest in the middle of the night around March — that's when to go looking.
How we came to know it
- The Index Catalogue. The IC was the 1895 and 1908 supplement to the NGC — the first catalogue in history to be filled largely with objects found on photographic plates rather than by eye.
Properties
- constellation
- Com
- dso type
- GTrpl
- name
- IC 3278
- size arcmin
- 0.9
Nearby objects
- Common IC 3278 NED02 galaxy · <0.1° away
- Uncommon IC 3278 NED03 galaxy · <0.1° away
- Uncommon IC 3278 NED01 galaxy · <0.1° away
- Uncommon IC 3269 galaxy · <0.1° away
- Uncommon IC 3262 galaxy · 0.1° away
- Uncommon IC 3270 galaxy · 0.2° away
- Uncommon IC 3299 galaxy · 0.2° away
- Uncommon IC 3306 galaxy · 0.2° away
How to see it
Look for IC 3278 in the constellation Com.
Like any astronomical target, IC 3278 is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why IC 3278 is a rare galaxy
IC 3278 scores 36 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the rare tier. Another 14 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 2 science badges — Galaxy and Galaxy triplet — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.